Gifting Stars
by PastTheVaultedDoors
Summary: A slice of life view of Atem, Seto, and their friends during the holiday season. What started out as a list of prompts for the December Fanfic Challenge turned into a full blown story. Prideshipping with mild Peachshipping and Polarshipping.
1. Ice Skating

Copied from my account (Brightwinter) on Ao3.

This is a head-canon universe that takes place a few years post series. Any major changes will be noted.

In this, I would assume Domino is in Japan and therefore I have tried to treat the holidays accordingly. Christmas is more for loves while the New Year is about family. I hope you enjoy.

Slight warning; implied sexual content.

Find me on tumblr under PastTheVaultedDoors!

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The late afternoon sun fell gently over Domino, illuminating the first snowfall of the year like pinpricks of diamonds. The laughter of children could be heard as they ran around the outdoor festival, merchants called out their special seasonal sales, and joyful holiday tunes pumped out of the speakers. But the most satisfying sound Kaiba had heard all day were the curses coming from Atem as he fell on his butt for the umpteenth time.

It all started when Mokuba wanted to visit the German Christmas Festival at the outside shopping district of Domino. Little huts were set up to mimic the country to sell curios and decorations, as well as food and spiced drinks. It was supposed to be an easy outing for Kaiba to satisfy the two men in his life; his little brother, Mokuba, and his boyfriend, Atem.

But, of course, when Kaiba invited Atem to join them, the little pest had to bring along his entire entourage as well. He suspected Mokuba was behind it so he could invite a few of his schoolmates as well.

If he were to be honest with himself, Kaiba couldn't say the day was completely disappointing. It afforded him the chance to watch Joey and Tristan get kicked out of a photo booth for lewd pictures (if picking their noses at the camera was considered "lewd") and Téa got tipsy off mead she thought was cocoa (Kaiba was quite sure she was aware of its contents and really wanted an excuse to hang all over Yugi). Yugi and Atem got into a feisty debate over who had the better reindeer ring toss throw (they baffled the booth attendant by winning every turn, but Kaia was certain _his_ toss was the best), and Mokuba happily catered to his two female friends while the one male of their group sagged behind (his little brother was turning out to be quite the heartbreaker… way to go, Mokuba!).

So, yes, maybe it wasn't the end of the world to have a group of friends to spend the day with, even if he clashed verbal swords with Joey several times and Mokuba's group parted off at one point. Still, it was a decent day, although he'd never admit it out loud.

But the best part—the cherry on top—was witnessing Atem's first step out onto the ice rink and watch his arms flail about like pinwheels before his feet left the ground. Yugi, who was helping him out, was beside himself in laughter. Lucky for the Pharaoh, the festival was still light in attendance, as it was early in the season, and their two bozo friends, Joey and Tristan, were already busy on the ice scaring off the patrons with their attempt at synchronized skating, so there were few people to witness the king's hilarious downfall.

"And here I was thinking you thrived on perfection," Kaiba teased as he stepped onto the ice himself. After taking a moment to find his balance, he glided around the duo as Yugi was helping the distraught Pharaoh upright.

"Mock me again and you'll regret it," Atem ground out between clenched teeth. Yugi, hardly more stable than Atem, wobbled with him. The two pineapple-haired boys clung to the railing for support before Téa swung around them.

She was putting everyone to shame with her skills and too much of a tomboy to pretend otherwise. "Come on, guys," she jeered happily at them. Kaiba wasn't sure if she was 100% sober yet. "Get off the rail and let's have some fun!" She wheeled about backwards, almost running into a passing couple.

"We're uh…" Yugi began, blushing red at the cheeks. "We're kind of stuck here."

Téa rolled her pretty blue eyes then swept forward to hold out her hand to Yugi. "Really, Yugi? Come on." His blush seemed to grow, if possible, but he did take the offered hand. After a surprised yelp he was carted off further into the rink.

When silence of conversation settled once again, Kaiba openly ignored the pathetic scraping sounds of Atem's skates on the ice as he fumbled again. Instead of helping, he crossed his arms tightly over his chest and waited for the pipsqueak to say something.

It didn't take long for the protests to begin.

"Well?" Atem practically growled.

"Well, what?"

"Aren't you going to be a nice boyfriend and help me out like Téa did?"

Kaiba finally looked at his other half—his half, not Yugi's, _his_—and raised a cool brow. "Are you calling Téa a man?"

"Wha- no! Damnit, Seto, help me out here!"

When Atem reached for him, Kaiba decided to be his smug-ass self and drifted a few feet backwards, along the wall so Atem could follow, but just out of reach. "Oh, I don't know, I'm rather enjoying this. Did they not have ice in Egypt?"

"Seto, you-!" Atem didn't get a chance to finish his scolding as he suddenly fell into an ungraceful heap onto the ice.

Kaiba couldn't stop the sudden burst of laughter as he watched the ancient pharaoh stumble to get back onto his feet. When murderous, ruby-bright eyes promising a death-wish fell on him he began to laugh so hard he had to hold his sides. This was… this was truly priceless.

There was no way Kaiba was going to demean himself to public displays of affection. He wasn't going to hold his lover's hand and snuggle to the tune of White Christmas like some dimwitted fool. However, he didn't feel the need to be a jerk. Atem would only ask for help if he truly wanted it, so Kaiba crept up beside the smaller man. He didn't reach for his hand, or offer an arm of support, no, he didn't need to belittle Atem's pride like that. So, he simply moved beside him, hands in his pockets, but an easy grab for the other.

So, when Atem's arm linked with his own, he knew he got it right. He didn't need to teach him anything, Atem was a smart guy, and he'd get the hang of it sooner or later.

Far be it to him to recall just how stubborn the Pharaoh's resolve was, he did improve impressively fast even if he did continue to fall on what looked like some painful pressure points. At first it was a pathetic slump against the railing, then, as he watched how Kaiba moved his own blades over the ice, he matched his footing and was able to stand with Kaiba for support. Slowly, Atem crept off his arm to meet the taller man at a slow, leisure pace around the rink, side-by-side.

By the time Atem had decent track record without falling, the sun had set and his friends had wandered off to get some food. Atem pushed them off, so determined to learn by example he couldn't be shaken from his focus.

"Happy now? You officially stopped looking like a dork fifteen minutes ago," Kaiba jibed coolly with a wicked smirk upon his lips.

"Don't belittle the genius," Atem said pompously and went to hold Kaiba's hand but the CEO would have none of that.

Oh, the sweet timing was perfect to shove the Pharaoh over for his impudence. Yugi and his friends had returned and were gathered at a table to munch on holiday fudge and pretzels. It was only a nudge—a simple, innocent thing, really—and Atem was suddenly flying across the rink in their direction.

He crashed right into the railing with a painful clang and slumped onto the cold, hard ice.

Of course, the group broke into snorts of laughter. It wasn't every day their fearless, ever calm leader faltered so hilariously at a task so simple.

Chuckling, Kaiba came up to Atem and, for the first time that day, offered a hand up. "Some genius-"

"I can't believe you did that!" Atem scoffed and slapped his hand away. He struggled to his feet.

Still laughing, Kaiba went after him. The Pharaoh wasn't even trying anymore; he simply used the rail to support himself to get off the rink. "Atem, wait," the young CEO elated, but Atem was having none of it.

"No, that was uncalled for," Atem barked and left the rink. He ripped off his skates even before he reached the rental kiosk.

With a heavy sigh, Kaiba knew better than to follow his boyfriend. His friends could probably get away with a follow-up, but they had worked so hard to build trust between them that he forgot how weak it was on occasion.

When he turned to the group to ask if they knew where Mokuba and his posse were so he could high-tail it out of there, Joey gave a low whistle and Tristan laughed yet again. "Nice going, Rich Boy!"

"Oh, shut up!" Kaiba snapped, his own laughter having faded with Atem's. He decided to screw them and find his brother himself but Téa came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Here," she said cheerfully and dropped a bit of fresh herbs into his hands. "I think you need this more than we do." She giggled and went back to the group. It took Kaiba a moment to realize he was holding a fresh sprig of mistletoe. He stared at it for a long few moments before he curled his fist around it and shoved it into his coat pocket. Without another word, he spun away to return his skates and find his grumpy boyfriend.


	2. Mistletoe

One word came to mind as Atem leaned against a kiosk of the German Christmas Festival.

MURDER!

Cold, blooded _murder_ with a suspecting victim as one Seto Kaiba.

Ice skating was a bust. His legs and thighs were sore, he was probably sporting a colorful spectrum of bruises across his entire body, and he was so cold he could no longer feel his fingertips.

That last symptom was why he was waiting for a hot mug of peppermint tea to come his way. What he got instead was a heavy hand sliding across his back that curled around his shoulder then held up a strange looking plant in front of his face.

"What do you want?" Atem grumbled at the holiday curio. It looked like a bundle of leafy weeds held together upside-down by a cheap-looking red ribbon.

"Still mad?" Seto rumbled against his side.

"What do you think?" Atem huffed. He didn't push him away but still imagined his glare could burn a hole into the little tea stand.

"Mm, thought so," Kaiba hummed and lift the stupid little decoration to tap lightly at Atem's forehead. Before the Pharaoh could object to his lover's nonsense he felt cool lips press lightly against his even colder cheek.

Atem blinked as he took that little significant moment in because Kaiba _never_ kissed in public. Ever. Slowly, he peered up, ignoring the bundle of weeds still loosely touching his head. Kaiba was right there, low to his side, so close they were suddenly sharing frosty puffs of air.

"Why don't you ditch the dweebs tonight and come over?" Kaiba nearly purred with affection. "Once Mokuba goes to bed I promise to kiss every single bruise away."

"I think my ego took the biggest hit," Atem admit, but could feel his anger slowly subsiding to something warmer.

"Mm, I see," Seto replied as he pulled away completely. He looked down at his wallet and pulled out a few bills for his tea. "Then I'll be sure to give that particular ache a thorough massage." He then turned with a swish of his coat to leave.

"I'm still mad at you!" Atem called out.

"No you're not," the reply sounded before the taller man disappeared into the crowd.

The tea came forward when he returned his attention to the kiosk, but he hardly registered how warm his fingers had become when he lift his cup.


	3. Watching Holiday Specials

Headcanon: The Kaiba Brothers have a posh, open concept, single story apartment a block from the KC building. It's spacious enough for the two of them, not really a home for entertaining parties. Not that Kaiba would have a party, anyway.

They have three rescue dogs.

Walter is a multi-colored, one-eyed Jack Russell with lots of energy. He has a bad back but that won't stop him from having a good time. There is a three-legged orange corgi named Cyan who loves playing fetch and nipping at ankles. The only female is a light brown, Maltese mix named Annalise. She's much slower and gentler than the others but always appears warmly happy. She has a few scars on her belly and is a mute.

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Over the past few years, Kaiba had been learning to balance his work and personal life. So, when Mokuba asked to watch a Christmas special that was airing, he didn't refuse him. He did, however, bring his laptop with him. While the holiday jingles began to sound on the oversized mounted TV, Kaiba was quietly tapping away at the keys. It worked for them both; he kept an ear open to his brother while able to tap out code and reports at the same time.

Even if his brother was growing up, Kaiba was still warmly amused when he would lean against him on occasion. Soon, he'd be too old for such displays of affection, but they had a special relationship not many siblings held. While Annalise was always at his side, with the addition of Mokuba he had Cyan nudged between he and his brother (he was not quite sure how he fit), and Walter would occasionally step over his lap when he crossed from one side of the couch to the other for no apparent reason it was a rather cramped affair.

But, Kaiba did not complain. He was content to finally spend some time with his brother since he spent the German Christmas Festival with his friends, even if his mind was engrossed in his work.

When the Santa on the screen was deep into his jingling, Atem had entered the apartment. After he riled the dogs, said his hellos, and made spiced seasonal tea for everyone (since Kaiba was never a good host) he took up his spot on Kaiba's other side, flipped open a book and began to read. The whole thing could have been rather comfortable; his two favorite people and their little family of pets cuddled together while Santa's elves played out their antics on the television. Except, Kaiba really wanted to get his work done and he was feeling suddenly claustrophobic with so many bodies against him. They were all suddenly too close!

He could hardly move his hands to type when Annalise wiggled her way half onto his lap and half onto Atem's when Kaiba finally growled. "Is this really necessary?"

Both boys glanced up with matching curious expressions. The dogs, too, appeared to be paying attention at the young CEO's break in the comfortable lull of the night.

"What's wrong?" Mokuba asked.

Kaiba lift his hands from his keyboard, barely, as now Cyan rest his chin on his arm. "What are you, a bunch of leeches?"

Atem grinned and forced his way under Kaiba's arm to lay his head against his chest. Mokuba caught on, matched his smile, and did the same to his brother's other side.

"Really, guys? I'm trying to work here."

"We're spending quality time together," Mokuba teased.

"You're not even paying attention to the movie. You've been texting your friend the whole time."

"I don't think he likes Santa Clause," Atem teased, and Kaiba could feel something was going to happen. Even the dogs were looking up at him, he could feel Cyan wagging his butt in anticipation.

"Pests, all of you!" Kaiba bellowed but it was too late. Leave it to the energetic Jack Russell to break the tension. He hopped onto Kaiba's laptop, barked once with happy vigor, then leapt right at the young man to lavish enthusiastic licks across his chin and neck. "Pests!" he yelled again, but even as he protest the dog pile of love, inside he was laughing with the rest of them.


	4. A Snowball Fight

After the movie, Kaiba left to get Mokuba to bed. The boy was certainly old enough to tuck himself in, but Atem secretly mused that the big brother was going to endure his father image as long as he was allowed. While he was preoccupied Atem took it upon himself to clean up the dishes of their tea and snacks.

The night was already dark, and he'd watched the lights of the City of Domino from the high windows enough to not be taken in by the view anymore. However, this time, as he dried his hands and put the mugs away something caught his eye from the windows of the dining room.

Snow, freshly falling, twinkled from the soft interior lights. He slid open the door the balcony and went outside. He leaned over the railing to catch the silent stars in his hands and watched them for a long time as they melted into his palm.

It was beautifully silent outside as the city gained a new blanket of snow. It was laced with drowsy flickers of lights, like a fairytale dream. Oftentimes, he didn't believe the sentiment behind the movies like the ones they watched tonight, but with the way the holidays settled over Domino, he could believe in a Christmas miracle or two.

Only when warm arms curled around him from behind did he realize how long he'd been out in the cold. He leaned back into the warmth provided and closed his eyes. It was like home, something he'd learned early on. It wasn't always comforting nor did it keep the rain off but it was there, solid and firmly buried inside his heart.

When hot fingers stroked his hipbones, he accepted the touch. The back of his head touched a strong shoulder and he raised his pelvis, inviting those hands up under his shirt. He let out a contented sigh and watched his own frosty breath catch into the gentle evening air and dance away into the falling snow.

"Not too sore to play tonight, are you?" Kaiba's steamy breath tickled his ear before humid lips pressed against the shell. The drag of a tongue slipped inside, making the Pharaoh squirm and his pants became suddenly tight.

"You did promise to kiss every bruise," Atem purred right back, raising his hips to encourage those scorching hands to explore further. They did and fanned out like spiders, gracing a cold, perky nipple as he moved.

Like a slowly burning flame, Kaiba warmed the pharaoh while he descended with kisses down his chin. Atem craned his head to the side when those smoldering kisses rained on his neck. "Mm, I did say that, didn't I?" Kaiba mused and his breath against Atem's neck caused goose bumps to rise in its wake.

Atem snort. "You know, normal couples usually hold hands on the ice. Instead, you threw me into a wall," he teased and got a hard nip in reply. "Ow, hey!" His protest pressed weakly passed his lips when that bite was covered in lavished licks.

"Since when are we normal?" Kaiba intoned playfully.

Atem grinned and twisted around just enough to catch the other's eye. He reached behind him and buried his fingers into that thick hair, gripped it tightly to forced Kaiba right before his lips. "Would it really be that bad if we were?"

The words froze between them like so many forgotten snowflakes. Kaiba blinked down at him, his sapphire eyes glittered lightly from the city's reflection. And maybe a reflection of something deeper within.

"I know, it's not exactly good for PR to hold your hand in public," Atem sighed and lowered his eyes, instead looking at Kaiba's silent lips. "But there are times when-"

The Pharaoh couldn't finish his words as Kaiba pressed in for a hard, open-mouthed kiss. Taken by surprise Atem gripped the railing, scooped up a handful of snow, and smacked it right into Kaiba's face forcing a break in the kiss.

"Idiot, I was having a moment here," Atem barked, but Kaiba only grinned as he pulled away, hands out from under his shirt that left a chilling trail of cool air at their absence.

"And I was ending it," Kaiba smirked and turned to reenter the apartment as he sloshed away snow from his hair. "Let's not do sentiment tonight," Kaiba said smugly, holding out his hand. "I have a hot body to kiss into submission and I won't go back on my word."

Atem crossed his arms and huffed. "Your mind is one-track."

"Mmhm, but I have a meeting early in the morning so either we spend time having this moment," the young CEO waved an idle hand between them. "Or we spend time warming the sheets."

"Pervert," Atem grumbled but took the offered hand. Maybe they could talk later. He could always try to hold his hand in public next time. Hopefully he wouldn't end with bruises again, though, if he did.


	5. Overly bundled up for the weather

"Come on, stop being a grump," Atem pout at Kaiba. They were in his office with the Pharaoh perched on the edge of the heavy desk. He was swinging his feet, crossed at the ankles, and making futile attempts to get a rise out of his busy boyfriend.

"I'm working, go away."

"It's just a local tournament. It'll be fun."

"I'm calling Roland."

"And we could find good trades there."

"You're banned from my building."

"We'll get to learn new strategies."

"They wouldn't let us duel as professionals on a casual circuit."

"No one will know it's us."

"I highly doubt you won't be recognized with that unconventional hair of yours."

"No, no, wait…! See?" Atem hopped off the desk and went to his coat he'd laid on the couch. Out from the pocket he produced a knitted, floppy hat. Kaiba couldn't place the name of the thing, but when Atem shoved it onto his head, it covered all but his lightening blonde bangs. "Here, I have a beanie for you, too."

Atem came forward with another hat, but the young CEO jerked himself away and fell deeper into his large chair. "Don't you dare put that thing on my head!"

"Seto, let's play some card games," Atem took his seat on the desk again, but this time in front of the computer screen, effectively blocking any of Kaiba's progress. "It will be a duel date."

"Hn," Kaiba replied and stared at the hat loosely held in those elegant hands of his boyfriend. "Date?"

"Mmhm," Atem singsonged, apparently happy to have found an ear. "If you treat me right, I'll even put out at the end of the night."

Kaiba snort and glanced up, finding garnet eyes glittering with mischief. "You would have anyway."

This time, when Atem lift the hat to put on his head, Kaiba didn't resist. Nor did he resist the light tug to be pulled in closer for a kiss. "How about a preview of tonight's performance?"

He couldn't help but shiver against those soft lips. "You brought your deck?"

"Always."


	6. Bonus Chapter!

Atem was having an incredibly difficult time paying attention to the duelist in front of him. He kept peering over the false, thick-rimmed glasses he wore to spy the hot ass of his lover one table over. Kaiba was leaning over a stack of cards, deep in conversation with another duelist over a trade.

The Pharaoh knew the moment Kaiba stepped out of his office in the clothes Atem picked out (since the CEO never left his office) that it was going to be a difficult night. He wore a tilby instead of the beanie, his usual reading glasses, and a tight vest over a button down. But those skinny jeans, dear Ra, _those jeans_! They wrapped around those long, firm legs and hugged his ass so graciously that Atem wanted nothing more than to push Kaiba back into his office and get those legs wrapped around his shoulders.

"Hey, man, you gunna move?" Atem's opponent asked. He turned back and blinked at the violet-and-grey-haired boy. "I thought you said you were advanced. Your moves are intermediate at best."

"Sorry, I… yes, set and special summon Bubble Man," he began and without giving the other duelist a chance to have a turn, he took over to destroy his Life Points. He was trying out a few other decks he'd put together but none of them felt right in his hands like his usual Dark Magician set. Of course, he wouldn't play it here to reveal his identity. The fun was being incognito at this local Duel Monsters gathering.

They shook hands and his opponent moved on, giving Atem another moment to admire his boyfriend's sweet ass before the taller man turned to catch him in the act. He smirked then rolled his eyes before going back to his trade.

The event was taking place in a basement of a shop. About fifty locals were gathered to trade, duel, and talk shop when it came to Duel Monsters. Only a handful of people used the holographic Duel Disk, the rest dueled old school at the tables.

Luckily, their incognito disguises worked like a charm so the duo looked like no more than hipsters looking for a good card. And a good time, perhaps, as Atem was making futile attempts to sneak in a few kisses and catch his hand. Kaiba instantly pushed him off but Atem would spy a smile or he lingered before he was brushed off.

Their duel date was turning out to be a lot of fun even if most of the time they spent it apart. They separated to enjoy the event then met up now and again to swap success stories. It was nice to know the other's presence wasn't too far, even if he was absorbed into the game.

When the hours wound down, Atem tucked away a couple of cards he just swapped and looked across the basement to find his boyfriend. There were only a handful of duels still raging on, and most of the competitors had left.

In the back corner, he spied Kaiba and wandered over. I looked like he was settling a duel at a table, the cards snapping on the mats before them. His challenger's girlfriend was leaning against him and looked quite ready to go with the way she was subtly carousing him by touches and impatient shifts.

The thing with public displays of affection to Atem wasn't about showing off, or even being watched. He loved showing affection, and loved it when it was returned, and if he could show it publically he felt it was a sort of… territorial marking. He wasn't possessive, that was different, but he still liked people to know that he was connected to him in ways others weren't.

With the opportunity in front of him, Atem smiled at his distracted lover's back before he inched forward and put his hand on his shoulders. "You're starting to sweat," he spoke softly into his hair just under the rim of his hat and into his ear.

"He's good," Kaiba commented, too distracted to even note the physical contact. Instead, he nodded to his opponent who grinned in return as he Special Summoned a monster.

The woman at the guy's side shared a look with Atem then rolled her eyes at the duelists that were playing. He recalled dueling her earlier and smiled in greeting. She winked back and quirked her head to the side that made her blonde and cotton candy pink hair bounce. "They've been at it for almost half an hour."

Atem chuckled and watched as a few more intense moments went by with simple words of "draw," "set," and "effect" was muttered from the duo. Atem was only too happy for the distraction and his arms were wound like a warm scarf around Kaiba's shoulders as he looked on.

"I haven't seen you two around here before," the gyura girl commented as she stood by the brown haired boy. She leaned against his side, a complete contrast of his simple looks to her outgoing style.

"We don't get to check out the locals too often," Atem said easily.

"You should," the girl said and draped herself against her boyfriend who didn't even seem to notice. "It's been a long time since I've had a duel that intense."

Atem smiled and nudged his nose against Kaiba's neck in a tempered movement. "It's only for fun."

At the movement, Kaiba lift his hand and flicked Atem on the forehead. "Stop that," he muttered before he set another card. Atem chuckled but didn't let go, only offered an inch of breathing space. Tonight, he was determined to have him and he wasn't sure how much longer he could wait.

"Duel date?" the girl winked and Atem grinned and nod.

Their light conversation broke up as the opponent let out a loud groan and tossed his remaining cards onto the mat. "Noooo!" He lost.

"It's okay, baby, there's always next time," the girl snickered before she drew her eyes to Atem. "How about a double duel?"

"It's late," Kaiba said as he swept his cards away.

Atem had to agree, but he smiled at the girl's insistence. "Next month's get together then!"

Again, the Pharaoh nod. "Of course, we'll be here."

"We will?" Kaiba's pantone voice reached Atem. He finally acknowledged his presence.

"Of course," he didn't hesitate to embarrass the other and kissed him soundly below the ear and was swiftly pushed away. "Shoo."

"You two are too cute," the girl beamed and waved as they two men left.


	7. Planning Family Party

Long, manicured fingers tapped lightly against the wooden table. Rain was tickling a foggy window of the bar Mai was residing in. The lipstick on the rim of the martini glass bade little evidence of her progress into the drink as the coffee liquor and Kahlua Rum looked untouched. The Caramel Apple Midnight Martini was abandoned for fleeting thoughts and violet eyes set on the slick, dark streets of San Francisco.

Despite the twinkling lights that danced from the shop windows of Market Street, she found her nostalgia of the hallmark colors of the season from the changing red and green traffic lights that reflected off the tar of the midnight wet roads. This wasn't the first holiday season Mai would spend alone, nor would it be the last. Having lost her family at a young age, she was quite used to the emotional solitude.

Mai wasn't bitter or jealous. She never felt sadness enough to push her to despair. Being alone when families all over the country thrived for a connection was simply the way it was. The movies lied, she knew, about the importance of kinship at this time of year. It didn't have to make one a Scrooge nor push one to self-destruction if the Disney miracles didn't come true.

Smiling to herself, Mai pushed her blonde hair out of her eyes and rest her chin into her palm.

Christmas did have its sting when one spent it alone, but she always tried to be sure to work hard through the holidays to keep her mind occupied. And, without family to tie her down, she used her time for promotional work. It wasn't all that bad since she would be collecting a lot of bonuses.

But, there were a few, fleeting moments that made her heart wrench at the idea of a going solo. Her eyes fell onto the phone she'd recently clicked off. Joey had called, with Yugi and his friend chatting in the background.

They were planning a get-together for Christmas day and invited her. She had a gig to perform showing off I2's latest deck series. Blowing off a job like that wasn't worth the expenses to Japan. Besides, the kids needed to know how the deck worked since it was going to be a top seller for Christmas.

Her lonely, violet eyes traced back to the window. Droplets fell softly like sorrowful teardrops against the cold glass.

Besides, being around all the emotional fuzzies wouldn't help her predetermined state of mind. The holidays were best settled dropping the heart and bursting forward into a new day. They would understand.

Declining Joey's invitation was the best form of action.

She didn't need friends when there were better things to do.


	8. Putting up the Stockings

Headcanon: Yugi, Atem, and Joey are contracted duelists under KaibaCorp. They're more or less celebrities in the gaming industry and their income is well off enough to afford a spacious penthouse in the City of Domino.

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Kaiba was an artist in many different ways. He could craft pixels and light into vast, interactive environments of painted antiquity. He had the ability to thrum the heartstrings of duelists with the intensity of the wild wind when he devised his tournaments. His fingers could dance over his lover's tanned skin to make him succumb to unaltered mewlings against the sheets.

Therefore, it was apparently this artist's duty to craft and create dinner for the motley crew that was Atem's friends.

Tch…

When he'd agreed to accompany them during their little holiday decorating party at Atem, Yugi, and Joey's penthouse, he'd only intended to tap away at his laptop and work like usual; not exactly ignored but left to his own devices; a sort of stoic figure among the boisterous friends. But no, he had to be recruited to help out, so when the evening approached they promoted him to head chef.

Having cooked a lot for his brother when they were younger, he wasn't bad. Nostalgia still prompted him to make meals for him and Atem, until the Pharaoh let out his secret joy of cooking. Now he was almost always caroused into making meals whenever he came to visit.

At first, he fought it like a ravaged beast, hating giving into family time with the dweebs, but now, it only took a few whispered words and a promise of Atem to do that _thing_ he knew Kaiba liked so well in bed. He rarely did that _thing_ so the incentive was rather delicious.

And that was why he was in the kitchen chopping up a few carrots for tonight's nabe dish. He peered up from his task to take in the progress the nerd herd was making. The open concept of the penthouse afforded him a view of the entire common area.

Tristan was on the second story, which was rather more like a loft, where the four rooms reside. He was stringing up garland, where under it in its alcove Téa was making the entertainment room look as though an elf had sneezed all over the place. Bakura was sitting in the middle of the common room where the three couches sat. He knelt at the coffee table making some sort of centerpiece.

At the head of it all, in front of the two-story windows stood a towering fir tree. The two pineapple-haired boys were busy stringing up lights with the assistance of a ladder. Every now and again, Kaiba would catch Atem looking his way, give a deviant grin, then go back to steadying to ladder for his partner. The young CEO was quite certain his lover had a fetish for him in an apron but executing plans to test the theory was difficult to line up with busy schedules and a young brother in the house.

Kaiba smiled to himself and began to sort through a variety of mushrooms for the nabe when he spied Joey on the other side of the bar countertop. The blonde was supposed to setting up decorations in the dining area but was instead on the phone. Lousy bum.

"Oi, Wheeler, if you're not going to help out with the tinsel then set up the hotplate on the dining table," Kaiba jibed to Joey after he got his attention by tossing a wet noodle at him.

"Hey, watch it there Rich-boy!" Joey yelled back as he folded his phone closed. "I had an important phone call."

"Who do you know that's note worthy?" Kaiba spat. "Besides myself, but I'd never answer the phone if I saw your number."

"Yeah, like I'd ever call you for anything," the other probed but there was no heat behind it. Something on that call certainly got to him, so Kaiba thought it would be best to rouse him to anger to forget it. It was more fun that way than a moping dog.

"For dueling advice, for starters, or help with your wardrobe; really, Wheeler, jean jackets? What are we, in the 90s?"

"Don't start with me, money bags!"

"Hn, I don't see the –"

"Guys, really?" Téa's voice popped in between their spat. She wandered into the kitchen, put her nose over the cooking meat and smiled. "Hey, we're making stockings for everyone."

"Huh?" Joey blanched at the girl. He leaned over the bar, newly distracted. "Stockings, for what?"

"Bakura says it's some sort of European tradition. You put family member's names on them and you're given little gifts inside of them on Christmas day," Téa explained. "Will Mokuba be at the party?"

"I'm in no relation to you and the nerd herd," Kaiba corrected her coolly and turned back to his cooking. "But no, he's having a party with a few of his classmates."

Téa rolled her eyes and turned to Joey. "How about Mai, is she coming?"

"Uh, eh…" Joey stammered and traced his phone with his fingers. "No, she says she's working."

"That's too bad. We haven't seen Mai since…" Téa began but paused in thought. Kaiba, annoyed with the presence inside his workspace, griped the answer. "Bronze Invitational in Beijing."

"Oh right. That was two months ago," she nod and turned once around the kitchen to sneak a slice of carrot—Kaiba totally saw her do it—and went back to the common room. "We'll make her one anyway, you know, she's still a part of our family even if she's not here."

Joey slumped against the countertop again. Already at a peak with the annoyances tonight, Kaiba turned to Joey, opened his mouth to verbally shove him away from the kitchen when a large crash sounded. Two bodies yelped and everyone went running!


	9. Decorating the Tree

"Yugi!" Atem bellowed as the high ladder began to teeter away from the fir tree. Like a movie slowed down, his partner began to tumble down to earth. Strings of lights went flying out of his hands as he went and his feet jerked up off the metal surface.

Just as the movie began to speed back to normal, Atem rushed forward with his arms out and, like an outfielder catching a fly ball, he swooped up his smaller half into his arms. The ladder clattered loudly as it hit the ground and the tree swayed dangerously as it made up its mind to remain upright.

"Yugi! Are you alright?" Atem gasped at the boy in his arms.

"I… I think so…" Yugi muttered, dazed.

Before they could exchange any more verbal communication, Téa, Tristan, and Bakura were already there. "Are you alright?" "What happened, man?" "Where does it hurt?"

"Wha- I'm fine guys," Yugi flushed pink.

Atem gently lowered him from his arms. "Partner, I'm sorry, I don't know what happened."

"I do," Téa piped up with mock anger. She was at Yugi's side instantly, her hands clasped Yugi's but she spoke to the taller of the two with a wry smirk on her lips. "You're pretty useless when Kaiba's around. All you can do is duel and ogle his butt. You probably weren't watching the ladder at all."

"Téa!" Atem gasped. He couldn't take offense from her teasing but couldn't hide the guilty blush he felt heating his cheeks.

"You too, Téa," Joey teased as he walked over, Kaiba hung back further. "Except you don't have dueling as your secondary skill. It's Yugi's ass all day long."

"J-Joey!" the girl squealed as her entire body seemed to turn red with embarrassment.

"Actually," Yugi squirmed into the conversation. He stood his ground, his back straight and firm as he took the fall. "It's my fault. I wasn't paying attention."

"What man? You gotta be careful up-"

"Téa bent over and I forgot where I was," Yugi admit.

After a silly heartbeat the group burst into laughter.


	10. Ruining Holiday Dinner

"Alright, dorks, the nabe's ready. Quit playing doll house and get over here!" Kaiba barked throughout the penthouse. After the tree disaster was averted, the decorating party continued as scheduled. Only Tristan and Joey took over the tree as it was noted the two shortest of their group were taking on the tallest job. Therefore, when Kaiba made his announcement Joey took it upon himself to throw a sharp-edged decoration at his head.

Naturally, he dodged, but not without a nasty glare in retaliation.

"Don't be such a dick, Kaiba," Joey snapped as he made his way down the ladder.

"It's second nature around you, dog," the snippy reply came. "I doubt you would respond otherwise to your master. Aside a good smack with a newspaper."

"Watch it, rich boy!"

With a response ready on his lips, Kaiba was stopped when Téa came around and put a hand on his arm. He glared at her, too, but didn't have as much ire for her and let it slide. She did help set up the nabe after all.

With a quick thank you, they all dug into the meal. The warm food was perfect for the cold season with a mushroom miso soup, rice, and tofu with kabocha and umami. The nabe had a heavy broth, red meat, and a plethora of vegetables. Generally, everything was going fine with playful jibes here and there and the duelists of the group discussing a few up and coming stars in the ranks.

That was except for Joey, who sat in silence most of the time and only poked at his food. Despite Kaiba's attempts to get a rise out of him and move him from his morose mood, it was doing little to change things up. Therefore, he lift a cut of tofu on his chopsticks and lobbed it at the blonde.

"What the Hell, Kaiba?!" he bellowed while the others snickered.

"You've been moping around all night. Get over it; you're bringing down the mood."

"You're one to talk."

"What matters now are your issues and how disappointing you are, mutt."

Joey leapt from his chair and pointed across the table at Kaiba. "You've been harping on me all night! Would you stop bein' a jerk for once?"

Kaiba calmly placed his chopsticks onto his bowl but his eyes were all fire. "I will once you stop whining over the fact that your little girlfriend won't be your arm candy for the party."

"That's not what-"

"Oh please, I heard your conversation. She has to work like a real adult. Big deal."

"Hey, not all of us have the luxury of creating our own schedules."

"I don't-"

"Yeah? You just so _happen_ to need your top duelists in Domino because you just so _happen_ to want to open your Virtual Reality Arcade here and that just _happens_ to be during the holidays."

Slowly, Kaiba rose from his seat and met the blonde eye-to-eye. "I make my priorities to suit my needs, Wheeler. Mai doesn't seem to think you're a priority enough to make it work."

Something snapped inside Joey, everyone could see it. Usually, when they spat, they let them ride it out, but Kaiba was beginning to tread on dangerous ground. A black moment of fear passed over the table as everyone waited with baited breath to see if Joey would lunge over the table.

And the moment came with fury!

Fury in the form of sticky, white rice drizzled with soy sauce. Joey threw his first weapon, and that weapon was dinner.

Kaiba jerked back, having taken a good shot from the other. He growled. "That's real mature Wheeler," he began, but a second lob of rice was thrown. He was ready for that one, dodged, and retaliated with more tofu.

As the group ran for cover from the feuding boys, Tristan laughed. "Can't we ever have a meal together without flying food?"

Yugi snort. "With our group? Probably not."


	11. Hot Chocolate

Dinner, like most things in their lives, ended up being a mess of things. But, this did not keep the group of friends from having a good evening.

At the end of the day the penthouse was smattered with an abundance of holiday decorations, the tree was magnificently lit before the towering windows, and the place smelled of cinnamon and pine. Things were really shaping up to make their Christmas something to remember.

To celebrate the day's success, the friends were gathered in front of the massive television in the entertainment room playing a racing game. All except for the two rivals-turned-lovers.

Kaiba had commandeered "his" sofa in the main room to click away at his laptop. He was always working, but what Atem got most out of it was that despite the heavy work load he was still there among them. It had taken so long to get the young CEO to warm up to his friends, but Atem knew the efforts were paying off not only for their relationship but for the man himself. Even if those benefits sometimes led to food fights at the dinner table.

Atem came around the sofa that faced the tree and darkened city skyline to take a seat beside his busy lover. He grinned at the easy posture of the lanky boy; a slouch into the cushions, feet propped on the coffee table (that always riled Joey), yet somehow he retained his regal features and attention grabbing superiority.

Psh, whatever. Atem was Pharaoh _and_ Game King. He was not going to cower!

With a soft nudge at Kaiba's arm, he put a mug of cocoa in front of his laptop to obstruct his view.

"What's this swill?" Kaiba grunt, causing his smaller lover to roll his garnet-colored eyes.

"I'd play you a game to figure it out, but I would suspect your files need attention tonight," Atem grinned as Kaiba took the offered drink, took a sip, and leaned forward to place it onto the coffee table. There was a muttering past his lips, like a "thank you" but the words were hard to catch. Whatever, Atem would take it.

There was a moment of adjusting positions. Atem swung his legs over Kaiba's then lay back against the arm of the couch. The CEO easily maneuvered into the familiar position and rest his laptop on Atem's legs now instead of his own. Atem flipped open a book and began to read as the two continued their evening in easy comradery.

Every now and again, the group would bellow at the TV or each other over the game, and somewhere a set of speakers piped out soft holiday tunes. All things considered, it was a good life.

A while later, when Kaiba took his last drag of his cocoa did he begin to speak. His eyes never left the screen, nor did his fingers stop tapping at the keys, but no one else would be on his mind to address, so Atem listened up. "Make sure Mokuba doesn't overdo the sweets when school lets out for vacation," he muttered and licked the last of the chocolate from his lips. "He went overboard last year and got a cavity."

Trying hard not to smirk at the contradiction, Atem peered over his book as Kaiba continued. "Thanks for looking after my little brother while I'm on this trip."

"Of course," Atem's smile bloomed gently at the other. "The others will love having him around."

"Hn," was the reply, but it was enough. Another lull of silence fell between them, only broken up by a loud cheer from Tristan and a groan from Bakura. "Do you think Mai Valentine is better enticed by fame or money?"

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Seto?" Atem pulled his book down to his chest to eye the other, who seemed animatedly happy to ignore him. "Are you going to try to get Mai here for Christmas?"

"Don't be so sentimental."

Atem couldn't hide his affectionate chuckle.


	12. Secret Santa Gift Exchange

Roland couldn't be more excited than to get up at three in the morning to escort his boss to the airport.

No, really, that wasn't sarcasm. They were heading out to North America for a conference and he was ecstatic. He hoped Mr. Kaiba couldn't tell, but the elegant raise of his brow and a thorough look-over told him he was caught, but that was okay. Ever since his young boss started dating Atem he'd let things slide when it came to his personal life.

So, why was he so happy about getting up before the sun?

Roland sighed happily as he shut the door for Mr. Kaiba and ran around the car to get into the driver seat.

Betty, the snarky, big-eyed, wise-cracking head secretary at KC's US headquarters. They hit it off years ago but never had the time to explore their feelings past a few lingering flirts until one fateful day he and Betty were accidentally trapped inside a storage closet together.

The door wasn't locked, but after helping his lovely brunette obtain a heavy ream of paper from the top shelf they were too late. Atem and Mr. Kaiba had rushed into the meeting room the storage room was adjoined to. After a nasty, new-couple spat, Betty and Roland had to endure the enthusiastic make out session of two teenagers with little time and lots of repressed hormones.

They couldn't just walk out while the boys were busy fighting and simultaneously swapping spit, so they were stuck for a good hour in that tiny space. It gave them time to talk, to flirt, and in the end, well… let's just say that wasn't the only heated action that happened in the room that day. In fact, Roland had the sneaking suspicion that Kaiba had heard them because the same day he gave him a look that said nothing short of "way to go!"

Betty wasn't the only reason he was ecstatic for this trip. Mr. Kaiba informed him that he could have the rest of the month off after the conference and Roland beamed. He figured that must have been the most generous Christmas gift he had even given him. Hot cocoa, cuddled up next to his snuggle bunny by the fireplace... ah yes, this was going to be a fantastic holiday.


	13. Unwrapping Presents

When Kaiba's private jet touched down at Domino International Airport, he flipped his phone open and selected the number at the top. It was nearing midnight, and jet lag or not, there was still a lot the young CEO had to do before he could claim sleep. His priority tonight involved the burning desire to satisfy his need to take hold of his boyfriend and never let go.

The phone rang twice before Atem's breathless voice answered. "You're back," he said in greeting.

"Is Mokuba asleep?" came the simple reply.

"Yes," Atem sounded wrought with unshed emotion. "Come over."

"I'll be there in twenty," Kaiba's short response was the last said between them before he flipped his phone closed and headed to his town car.

It had only been a week but it felt like a miserable eternity. Business trips and tournaments were a common occurrence for the two, so spending time apart for their work wasn't unheard of. However, something stung Kaiba to the core this time around. It could have been the holiday cheer the Americans splattered across every inch of their country, or maybe he was jealous of the way Roland and Betty eyed each other all through the conference, but he was aching for his other half to be by his side. His attention waned from his work and he hardly slept at night. It felt like there was a gaping hole yawning in his heart waiting to be filled with the warmth that only his dearest could fill.

Whatever it was, the world came crashing to a halt the moment he opened the penthouse door and saw Atem standing there, waiting, just beyond the edge of the genkan. The soft, colored lights of the Christmas decorations played across the plains of his face, illuminating his cheeks and making his eyes glow with restrained joy.

A breath passed Atem's petal soft lips, whispering his name without a sound and that was all it took for Kaiba to bend. He dropped his bags unceremoniously to the ground and took two long strides across the genkan to sweep the Pharaoh into his arms and off his feet. Their kiss was pained concupiscence, an unending craving of devotion and love. He needed to be close to him, a part of him, and it was a sudden tragedy that they were limited by physical entanglements. Elegant fingers seized his hair just as his own hands gripped at Atem's shirt, holding him close as if letting go meant the world was threatened to fall apart.

This was their moment, glorious and pious; their eternity among endless others. Only this one was theirs to share with no one else. Everything could end now, and Kaiba knew that he could die content. He was home and that… that was enough.

After the midnight lovers spent themselves of their physical endeavors, Atem fell asleep almost instantly under the secure watch of his significant other. Kaiba's little beloved was curled up on his side, head half on his pillow, half in the crook of his own arm, and dozed quietly under the heavy blankets.

Kaiba smiled at the sight and was irresistibly drawn in. He slipped closer and rest his chest against Atem's back, his sex nuzzled tightly against his firm ass. After a tender kiss pressed to the Pharaoh's neck, Kaiba's head settled down on his pillow, slipping his own arm under it to mimic the other's posture.

Hands slid across the top of Atem's thigh, over his hip and along his side. It ended its journey at Atem's chest where he gently stroked the muscles there and felt the calm heartbeat beneath his fingers. Kaiba peered around just once to see his face and saw a whisper of a smile grace those silky sweet lips of his beloved.

Satisfied, he lay back to bury his nose against the hair at the top of Atem's head and felt the smaller body press against him, catching his heat and sharing his own. After a body encompassing squeeze, Kaiba let sleep take him from the world to share dreams of blissful entanglement of the heart.

This—these simple, magnificent moments—was how he knew he was loved.


	14. Bonus Chapter 2!

At this point in their relationship, having Seto hang around the penthouse was more or less like an extension of Atem himself. Especially the next morning when Kaiba was attempting to make breakfast and the Pharaoh was clinging to him like a barnacle. Even Joey didn't comment on it, just made his coffee and went to watch cartoons in the entertainment room.

And he was sore, so deliciously sore! He didn't often let Kaiba take him more than once—come on, let's be honest, there's quite a size discrepancy here—but he'd goaded him along. Atem wanted to feel him for _days_. His only regret was the fact that there was a flight of stairs in the house. Who invented stairs, anyway? They should totally install an elevator.

Only when Mokuba returned from walking the dogs (they stayed over at the penthouse as well) did Atem bother removing himself from this warm slump against Kaiba's back. The brothers caught up over breakfast about the past week while Seto and Atem held hands under the dining table as they ate.

Despite only just returning, Seto already had work scheduled for the day. He would meet up with his brother and his top duelists later to go over another promotional feed at his Virtual Reality Arcade. It was going to be a big deal, and they'd spent a lot of time pushing the design of the place. The VR Arcades were going to revolutionize the way people gamed. Domino, being one of the most noted tech and game cities in the world, was going to be the perfect launching pad for the new branch of business.

Atem just hoped he didn't have to scale too many stairs...


	15. Making a Snowman

Kaiba watched the demonstration of his VR Pod with smug satisfaction. Joey, Yugi, and Atem were hosts as they showed the reporters around the snowy environment Kaiba specially made for this purpose. While the porcupine-haired boys were bundled up for the icy terrain he made sure to poke a hole into Joey's boot that made him hop from side to side every now and again in chilly discomfort.

"And the monsters succumb to heat like one would expect," Atem's authoritive voice floated over the group that was following him through the snow. "But that's not the only weakness you can find in their armor."

The former regal turned a corner and pulled a card from his virtual deck, expecting an ice monster to appear but paused. He pulled back in surprise, giving his expression a new name for "cute." The beast he'd expected to be there was replaced with a two story snowman that waved down at the little crowd.

From his invisible view point over them, Kaiba laughed. He heard Mokuba do the same on their private line as Joey must have found his "monster" as well.

The towering snowman peered down at the group and smiled with coal-lined teeth.

"And what is this monster's weakness?" one of the reporters asked just before the beast opened his mouth wide and let loose a torrent of flames.

Yes, a snowman breathing fire.

As they ran, Atem yelled the answer. "A couple of brothers with a twisted sense of humor!"

0000

A few hours before the VR demonstration began, Mokuba asked his brother; "Do you want to build a snowman?"

And Kaiba said, "Yes."


	16. Receiving Horrible Presents

"Oh man, this isn't gunna work," Joey muttered as he shifted a few Duel Monsters cards away from the useless foils on his desk.

Atem winced in mutual pain as he watched Joey sweat over a set of cards. They, as well as Yugi, were in their shared office which was more like their vault where they kept their built decks and Duel Monsters Cards safely tucked away. The walls were lined with bookshelves that were filled with cards and memorabilia. Each wall of the room had a desk where the boys had their own system of organization for their workspace.

"Wheeler, come on already, you had two weeks to prepare for this. Now hurry up before we're late," Kaiba barked from the doorway and looked down at his watch. He already had his coat on and was tapping a slippered foot impatiently.

"Hold your horses, rich boy, I'm workin' here!" Joey wailed back as Yugi handed him a card for a suggestion and Atem continued to flip through his own stash to help him out. They were all in a similar state of dress with coats and scarves, ready to head out if only Joey hadn't had the notion to change up his entire deck at the last minute.

As the Pharaoh flipped through his cards in a rush to help, he was vaguely aware of the doorbell ringing through the penthouse. After a few rings, Kaiba muttered about useless mutts and how he wasn't a butler and left them to their mess of cards scattered about the room. He returned shortly with a new body in tow.

"Hey guys!" Duke Devlin cheered from the doorway. "How's it- uh, what's going on?"

"Lack of preparation," Kaiba seethed but Joey jerked his head up and yelled.

"That's not it at all!" he snapped. "I was ready for this duel but… things got complicated."

"That's what you get not paying attention to the finer details," Kaiba grunt.

Joey wheeled around in his chair and, instead of yapping at Kaiba, he addressed Atem with desperate aggregation. "Can't you put a muzzle on him!?"

Atem didn't even think twice about it; the time crunch was too stressed to gently carouse his lover into obeying. Instead, he leveled his garnet eyes to those brilliant sapphires and said a single, demanding word in a way only a royal could. "Seto," he warned.

After one electrifying moment, Kaiba clicked his tongue against his teeth in annoyance and swiftly turned on his heels to leave them to it. His long wool coat flared out around him as he went, not unlike the former trench coat he used to wear during duels.

"Ooookay," Duke said from the doorway in an uncharacteristically unsure manner. "Is there any way I can help?"

Atem was the one to wave him in. "Yes," he began. "Please, it would be most appreciated."

"What are you guys doing? I thought we were heading to Kaiba's park opening," Duke said as he meandered his way into the Forbidden Card Room. "Aren't you guys going to duel for the opening ceremonies?"

"We are," Yugi assured him as he began to sort through another pile of cards. "But Joey just read the Christmas card he got from Serenity. Apparently, she's coming to the opening and wants to see Joey utilize the gift she gave him."

"Yeah," Joey agreed with his nose against a set of foils. "She sent me a present of these." He shoved a few cards at Duke without looking up.

Duke's easy demeanor went from simple curiosity, to disgust, then to despair. "Why would she send you _these_? No one's touched this set in five years!"

"Yeah, we know," Joey blanched, but he ducked his head. "But she tried really hard. These aren't easy to find now-a-days and she probably thought they were like that because they were powerful."

Duke snort but smiled affectionately down at the cards. "Well isn't that sweet," he grinned with a hint of sarcasm. "If only she knew that these weren't on the market anymore because they're so useless that no one wants to buy them."

"None of us have cards to properly accompany them," Atem said as he desperately chucked a few cards to the side.

"None of you dweebs do, anyway," Kaiba's voice interrupted their conversation.

"Oi! Didn't Atem tell you to shove off?!" Joey yapped, but Kaiba strode into the room as if he didn't hear him. Instead, he handed Joey a tablet with a few card images.

"You better be nice, Wheeler, or I won't loan these out to you," Seto rumbled.

Yugi, Duke, and Atem all paused in their shuffling of decks to peer over Joey's shoulder. "These… these might work," Yugi began slowly, and Atem had to agree, they were a perfect fit to at least make Serenity's gift not look like a joke.

Joey turned a suspicious eye to Kaiba, raising one brow and putting his nose into the air. "Yeah? What do you want for them?"

"Just get to the duel on time," Kaiba snapped at the group. "I'll have my secretary bring them to the park."

"Yup! On it!" Joey cheered and the boys shoveled out of the penthouse and to the elevator.

Inside, Duke broke out into a sudden grin and peered over at Joey. "So, Serenity's going to be there?"

"Don't even think about it…" the blonde grumbled, his eyes narrowed at the other.

Duke put his hands into the air in a way of casual surrender. "Wasn't thinking it," he admit, but the false smile said otherwise. "Natural attraction doesn't need forethought."

Atem and Yugi laughed while Joey roared angrily. Kaiba raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose like he had a headache coming on.


	17. A Sleigh Ride

If someone were to approach the stoic CEO of KaibaCorp and tease him for having a soft spot for kids and small animals, he might very likely punch them in the nose. No matter how close to the truth it was.

Luckily, no one thus far had approached him with such a stupid accusation so the presses didn't get to see Kaiba wail on an unsuspecting dimwit. He was close to taking Joey out for posturing like an idiot (he actually pulled off his sister's deck of choice) but that was neither here nor there.

He always had the urge to thrust his fist into Joey's jaw, so that was nothing new.

The park opening was a success. It was supposed to be a contribution to the city, but with it being so close by an orphanage he supported it was really a personal endeavor. Not to mention the green (or, currently white as it was covered in snow) was where a cluster of his father's warehouses once stood. It was yet another testament of KC's onward battle against its darker past.

And why set up bleachers and a stage in the middle of winter to open a public park? Well, why not? They could have waited for spring, but the cherry trees wouldn't bloom for another few years, so the decision to make it into a snow festival was prime choice for the event.

A few booths were set up for food and children's rides were scattered about the property. Although the playground equipment was off limits due to the weather, the children had plenty to do for the reporters to take in. A brass quintet was playing cheerful holiday tunes while a few of KaibaCorp's contracted duelists battled on a stage to promote the obvious theme of the playground; Duel Monsters.

Seto watched as Joey ran after Duke and Tristan, who were fawning over his pretty sister (although he was _supposed_ to be assisting at the dog park). Téa and Ryou were taking the children up high hills to go sledding, and Atem and Yugi were leading a few of the older kids into fierce battles of strategic snowball fights. Yugi might have been amazing with tactics with cards, but he was no competition to a battle trained Pharaoh in the art of war. Last time Kaiba saw the pipsqueak, Yugi was being tackled into a snowbank.

Kaiba himself spent the majority of his time speaking with investors and subtly promoting his Virtual Reality Arcade with the occasional assistance of Mokuba. By the time the brass quintet was on its third version of "Twelve Days of Christmas" the young CEO excused himself to use the restroom.

When he finished, he began to make his way around the stage where the quintet was set up to play around a large tent and refreshments when he heard an annoying woman bellow across the busy expanse.

"Oh Kaiba-poo!"

He groaned inwardly as he quickly turned in the opposite direction.

Couldn't he have one day, _one day_, where he did not feel the urge to strangle someone? This time it was Vivian Wong; model turned actress, turned kung fu master, turned duelists, turned he wasn't even sure what she was anymore. Which begged the question; why she was there in the first place?

Since she was hanging around the media tent he predicted that the annoying wench was trying her hand at pretending to be a CEO or a reporter or some other kind of nonsense. She was probably schmoozing her way into her next failed career.

When he spied her still heading in his direction, he slipped between a few trees and under the bleachers.

Between the line of trees and the piles of snow that were plowed up against the side, the underside of the seating area was rather cut off from the rest of the busy park gala. He could still hear the children screaming in delight far off, the murmuring of the mingling adults nearby, and the quintet was beginning its play through of an adaptation of Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride."

He watched through the obscured hideout as Vivian passed by and gave a mental sigh of relief. Most people knew their place around Kaiba when he glared, but oblivious idiots like Vivian were not one of them.

When he turned to venture out at the other end of the underside of the bleachers he couldn't be more pleased to notice the he was not the only one that sought sanctuary here. Atem was peeking out over a mound of plowed snow, pushed up on his toes, his back to Kaiba, and oblivious to his presence. He must have been hiding from someone, too. Probably Vivian.

Kaiba could have simply left and been done with it, but he couldn't help but be pulled in. They hadn't talked in hours, let alone touched, and what was a sweet moment stolen from a busy day? Besides, a few dirty whispers, a chaste kiss, and Atem would be riled for the rest of the day for Kaiba to reap the reward when they could get behind closed doors.

Wasn't Atem pushing for bolder displays of affection anyway? No one could see them from here. While he heard the blocks being played like horse hooves from the quintet, Seto confidently strode forward with a plan in mind.

When he placed his hands on his petite boyfriend's shoulders, he had a sudden realization; he really had fallen hard for Atem. If he was craving his presence from only a few hours apart, and that torturous week at the conference kept his mind away from work, was he really doing the right thing by allowing his rival get that deep under his skin?

But, as he nuzzled his ear and tilt his head to catch the mouth that was slowly turning into his direction, the answer was clear. Yes, Atem, was totally worth it.

However, when their lips were a hair away from touching, Kaiba glanced up to catch his lover's eyes then froze solid like an icicle in a blizzard. Those were not sunset red eyes!

Yugi yelped and Kaiba jerked back with a yell of his own.

"Wh-what are you-?!" Yugi stammered.

"You're not Atem!" Kaiba accused briskly, as if Yugi being Yugi had been some diabolical scheme.

"No, I'm not!" Yugi panicked, his face was red like a radish.

"Why aren't you Atem?!" Kaiba roared angrily and could feel heat rushing to his own cheeks. "You were supposed to be Atem!"

"I don't know!" the other boy bellowed, almost cried as he scrubbed his mouth with the back of his hand.

Had they kissed!? Kaiba stared at Yugi in shock. He'd been so struck by surprise he wasn't sure if they actually touched mouths.

"Oh God, Tea's going to kill me!"

"Why aren't you Atem!?" Kaiba repeated as if his brain neglected to process logic.

The jazz tempo of "Sleigh Ride" began to bounce through the air just as Vivian made her grand entrance through the shroud of trees. "Oh there you are!" she cheered and rushed up to the two flustered boys, oblivious to their distraught situation. "I've been looking all over for you two! There's this- hey!"

Both duelists rushed past her, went through the trees, and stiffly walked away in separate directions.

And lucky for Kaiba, he picked the right direction. There he was, the real Atem, hot in conversation with a man bundled up in a coat and tie. Probably someone important, which mattered so very little to Kaiba as he marched up to Atem, grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him off before he could get a proper word in protest.

He yanked the Pharaoh behind the stage of the quintet. It wasn't in open line of eyesight of the crowd but it wasn't a secure place, either. If someone happened to look their way there was no hiding the duo from sight. However, that didn't matter as Kaiba thrust his young lover up against the back wall and held him firmly by the shoulders.

"Tell me your name," the deranged CEO demanded.

"What…?"

"Your name! Tell me your name!" He shook his boyfriend's shoulders as if the answer were a matter of life and death.

"A- Atem…" the petite royal stammered just as the final stanza of "Sleigh Ride" sounded with the trumpet whining into his horn to mimic a baying horse.

"Damn straight you are!" Seto roared in triumph and dropped an open mouthed kiss onto his lover.

A moment later he pulled back, looking so very proud. He barely registered the bewildered expression Atem gave him before he pivoted on his heels and swiftly stalked away.


	18. Making Cookies

A few days after accidentally kissing Yugi, Kaiba was still walking around with his tail between his legs. He buried himself in his work to avoid all invitations to visit the dweeb headquarters and not have to see the pipsqueak.

While Kaiba was internally mortified for his mistake, Atem was having a ball with it. After the initial shock wore off, he couldn't not make a quip at every opportunity. Seto could only hope the novelty would wear off soon or else he was going to smother his lover with a pillow.

Even at the dead, early hours of the morning when Kaiba slipped from his own bed his boyfriend still attempted a jab when he could hardly keep his eyes open. He reached out to grab his hand and gave a sleepy smile. "It's okay," he teased lightly. "It's me."

Kaiba tsked down at the drowsy boy. His beloved was so annoying sometimes, but it didn't keep him from leaning over for a lingering morning kiss before he went about his morning routine.

He'd hoped for a good day as he arrived early to his office and began shoveling through the daily reports. The weather forecast called for yet another drop of snow and Kaiba would catch glimpses out his high office windows every now and again to see the worn out gift from Father Christmas blanket the city once more.

With school out for short break, Mokuba wandered in and out to help and make conversation until he left to catch a movie and do some mall crawling with his friends. He expected Atem's lunch visit as noon neared, so his attitude was perking up until one of his secretaries walked in with a newly received fax.

And that was the last of the CEO's good mood.

He curled his fist angrily around a report as he barked to an assistant. "What is the meaning of this!?" he yelled from behind his desk, on his feet and seething. Sometimes, he imagined his ire could breathe white lightening like his precious Blue Eyes.

"U-uh, I'm sorry sir! The- the fax it- it just arrived!" she stammered uselessly before him and scampered away.

Kaiba roared in her wake before he threw himself back into his chair and thrust his finger against the touchscreen of his computer. He punched the icon was an annoying Toon Cat that indicated none other than that bastard billionaire himself, Maximillian Pegasus.

After a few rings the one-eyed, white-haired _freak_ popped up on screen with a smile too wide for sincerity. "Why Kaiba-boy, what a pleasant surprise! Did you miss-"

"Can it, Pegasus!" Kaiba barked at the video feed of his friend and business associate. He held up the still fisted fax at the camera. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"Ooh!" the older man cooed delightedly. Kaiba could swear he could feel his blood vessels throbbing on his temples as he closed his eyes tightly to keep his cool. "You got my Christmas gift. Did you like it?"

The younger billionaire blanched at the screen at the words. "Like it? You have to be joking!" he growled. "There is no way I'm allowing your pathetic security team touch my VR Arcade."

"Ah, but I can," Pegasus cheered and moved about. The camera was motion sensitive and followed the man as he shifted. It was only then that Kaiba could see where he was; in the kitchen, wearing an apron and holding a frosting bag with a star tip screwed to the end. He was… baking?

Whatever, that was beside the point.

"In Section 18, Clause C of our mutual contract of Duel Monster registry; if at all I feel that the safety and security of my sweet monsters is threatened then I have the right to assign my own team to assist the preservation and maintenance of the trademark."

"What are you talking about?" Kaiba rumbled low at the screen as Pegasus took nothing of his words or actions as a threat. In fact, Pegasus continued piping frosting on gingerbread cookie. Weirdo. "I designed the firewalls of the Virtual Reality Pods myself, and Hawkins has been working on a second layer to fortify the lines. There is _no_ _threat_ to your precious Duel Monsters."

A single eye glanced back at the camera and a Cheshire cat smile played on his lips. "Oh? I do have evidence to suggest you're slipping in your privacy settings."

That was it. Kaiba had had enough of his partner's mocking. Friend or not, he slammed his fist hard down on his desk to make his point. The only point that really mattered in this whole thing. He thrust the report at the camera again and bellowed. "Your security team is now contracted by Schroeder Corp and there's no way I'm letting Zigfried or his greedy hands near me, my tech, or my duelists!"

And that was the real issue, right there. KaibaCorp and I2 had utilized each other's resources countless times in the past to assure success. It was one of the great benefits to their mutual passion for the game; they shared their goals for quality. But ever since Industrial Illusions took on Schroeder Corp with its new security tech wing, Kaiba was wary.

"Ooh!" the other man shivered in delight at Kaiba's raw passion over the issue. "You really do get worked up over Ziggy, don't you?"

"I despise the guy and everything he stands for," Kaiba growled as he leaned back into his chair, his blue eyes never leaving the screen of the toon-happy billionaire.

"If that's how you feel," Pesagus shrugged and went back to his cookies. "Then you'll have to prove that you're not slacking where security is concerned. Hawkins can only do so much when she's not even old enough to clock full time hours yet."

"Psh, whatever," Kaiba rumbled. "There have been no security breaches since last year's coupe attempt. And as you very well know my tech team and I were victorious. The privacy settings of all KaibaCorp are tightly secured."

"Are you sure about that?" Pegasus put his cookies down and tapped at a tablet he was utilizing as his recipe book. After a moment, he held it up to the camera to show him a picture.

Suddenly Kaiba's stomach dropped down into his shoes and he was certain he lost three shades of color from his face. He felt cold with shock, as if someone threw a bucket of ice water on him.

"Where…?" he began, but his own voice caught in his throat. He tried again, but couldn't hide his breathless fear behind a façade of disconcert. "Where did you get that?"

"One of my associates," Pegasus beamed at him. He hated when he had the upper hand. He was always so smug about it.

The photo was a private, candid moment between Seto and Atem when he'd momentarily lost his mind and tried to wash the thought of Yugi off his lips with Atem as his antidote. It was a short but vigorously passionate kiss that took place behind the stage at Kaiba's recent park opening.

Quickly mollified, Kaiba let a moment of registration pass before he could even find words to fill the silence, but at the change in his business partner's demeanor as he lowered the tablet, he turned suddenly to friend. "Now, Kaiba-boy-"

"Don't say it-"

"No, no, no!" a finger smeared with pink dye waved before the screen. "Hear me out. Now, you know I'm happy for you and Little Atem, but you also understand the circumstances of outing your relationship improperly."

This, Kaiba already knew. This was what he hated to discuss and often played his belated attempts to sway off his boyfriend as coy or sharp dislike for PDA. But they all knew, in their little circle, that wasn't the whole truth.

"No parent is going to want to let their children touch Duel Monsters cards, or your toys, or even take a trip to KaibaLand if they think the company is run by a pervert and his leather-wearing twink. Every game Atem ever played in your tournaments or against you will be scrutinized and questioned. He might lose the title."

Kaiba raked his fingers through his thick hair out of frustration. "I know," he sighed, distraught.

"You need to be more careful," Pegasus advised calmly. "There are already rumors being whispered in the main circuit. You're always looking at him with that sweet expression on your face-"

"I don't-!"

"-and that one invitational in Sweden didn't help. It looked more like a wild mating call than a Duel Monsters battle." Pegasus chuckled and Kaiba could only guess his own expression was a hilariously faulty mechanic to keep his blushing at bay. He probably looked constipated.

"I know… _I know_!" Kaiba groused and stood, beginning to pace in front of the desk. "I'm just not ready for..." he waved a hand for words that refused to come, not even caring if the other could see it or not.

The problem wasn't his devotion to Atem, he knew where he stood. The problem was it couldn't be a half-hearted outing because there would be critics watching his every move on every tournament they went on together, or created. "I want to wait," he said, frustration building. His fists clenched at his sides as he paced. "Until we're ready."

"Give it a few more years," Pegasus chimed. He sounded distracted, back to his cookies, perhaps granting courtesy to Kaiba and his private moment.

A few more years, yes, he could handle that. Until the day they decided to seal the deal, so to speak.

He wasn't sure when that time would come, but he'd wait it out. Because he knew they would, eventually.

But his anger didn't ebb. Of all the careful, quiet steps they took, leaving their only open affection to their close circle of friends, and it was _Kaiba_ that almost blew their cover. His own stupid lustful craving for Atem's mouth, his body, his touch, his scent… He was driven mad that day, he was sure, probably possessed by a Yokai after kissing Yugi. He wanted Atem to reclaim him, just as he wished to do the same to him.

_Stupid_! He should have waited! He could have destroyed everything!

With a sudden wave of anger, he kicked over his chair and watched it with hallow satisfaction as it clattered heavily to the ground.

He heard Pegasus give a light hearted sound to accompany that fury. "Don't worry, I have the only copy of this picture and it is…" there was a pause. "It's deleted."

"Don't tell Atem."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Just then he heard his door crack open. Atem came in with wide eyes of worry. His cheeks and nose were tinged pink from the cold and the spikes of his crazy hair drooped slightly from melted snow.

"Babe?" he asked as he tentatively came towards the desk. He must have heard Kaiba bellowing and kicking his own chair.

The young CEO pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand, and waved at the screen to the other, as if it explained everything. "Pegasus wants to set Schroeder Corp on VR security," he said warily.

If possible, Atem's eyes widened further as he finished his route to the desk, set his satchel down, and peered at the one-eyed man on the screen as if an adorable question mark were made into an expression. "Why would you do that?" he repeated his boyfriend's earlier words.

Kaiba righted his chair and took a seat. Not a moment later, Atem perched on the armrest beside him and curled one snug arm behind that taller man's shoulders for support. He didn't even seem to realize he'd gotten so close to the other, like it was completely natural, but Kaiba said nothing. Pegasus was, oddly enough, one of the few people he felt comfortable enough to allow their affections show through.

"Oh, My Little Pharaoh!" Pegasus cheered, and Atem didn't even mention the nickname. He'd long since gotten used to the man's weirdness. "I missed you at the conference."

"I was busy working with the Virtual Reality Arcade details in Domino," Atem began slowly, and turned the conversation back to the issue at hand. It was nice to know that Atem, as forgiving as he could be with everyone, still shared a mutual distrust for Zigfried. They could team up and bully Pegasus out of his stupid decision. "We've worked very hard on that system. Why would you want Schroeder Corp to touch it?"

"Aw, et tu, Atem?" Pegasus mocked with a pout, but seeing no softness in the young royal's statement he continued. "Ah, fine, you two are no fun at all. I will pull my security team, for now…"

Kaiba could feel his stomach unknot at the words.

"_If_," but of course there would be a catch. "You agree to a little exhibition this New Year's."

Seto could feel Atem's fingers tighten around his shoulder at the notion. He didn't look up to understand his motives, but he felt suddenly very protected by the small movement. He wasn't sure why. "We were going to spend it with Yugi and his family."

"But wouldn't that be grand if you could spend it with your, eh hem, extended family of duelist, hm?" Pegasus began in casual earnest.

"I know what you're after," Kaiba butt in suddenly. "You have a mini-tournament planned to take place at a shrine."

"Exactly, a shrine to games."

"Ah yes," Atem chimed in. "I recall seeing an ad for it. But, why bring it to our attention? Don't you already have your star lineup? And your main duelists… they're the Nakahara duo, yes? They're Duel Monster's most famous couple."

"Not anymore," Pegasus frowned and bit into a cookie.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, they split, broke it off," he snapped his bitten cookie in half as if to empathize the point. "They're not the most famous couple anymore and I need a replacement. So I figured, why not Duel Monster's most famous rivals?"

"Let me get this straight, Pegasus," Kaiba leaned back in his chair, enjoying the warmth of his lover by his side. "You used Schroeder Corp interference on my VR Arcade in an attempt to blackmail us into dueling each other?"

The one-eyed man beamed in answer.

"Not your most smooth move," Seto growled, still angry from earlier.

"It was worth it," Pegasus cheered. "After you took my spotlight duelist for my new Gold Pack demo this Christmas, a shallow move for your reaction was worth it."

He could feel Atem peer down at him with a confused expression. "What does he mean?" he asked.

"Nevermind that," Kaiba grunt then put one elbow on the arm of his chair, the other on Atem's thigh (since he was in the way of the other armrest), and steeped his fingers. "I actually enjoy the hot springs there. You didn't have to go into such a pathetic display of bribery to get us there. I'll make sure my top contracts are present if you provide room and board for them and their families over the holiday."

"Consider it done, Kaiba-boy," Pegasus grinned. "I already have a wing of a ryokan booked."

"Right," Kaiba's voice jerked from his anger then. He really had no reason for getting mad. Pegasus was first a businessman before his friend, and he could respect that. After dropping his steeped fingers but let his arm remain on Atem's thigh, he watched Pegasus pipe a few more lines onto his gingerbread cookie. "What are you doing, anyway?" he asked suddenly.

"Oh!" the childish man perked up with renewed vigor. "You want to see?"

Without a reply, Pegasus stood and spread his arms to expand the view finder of the camera. When the video feed pulled back, he heard Atem gasp in surprise. "You did that?" his other half asked.

"Indeed I did!" Pegasus said proudly as he stood beside a three foot gingerbread house- no, castle. It was pieced together with smaller bits of cookie with elaborate frosting decorations and candies. It was only upon closer inspection that Kaiba realized it was actually a replica of the Toon World castle. He could see Toon Dark Magician Girl in a high window, and Blue Eyes Toon Dragon flying over a turret.

"You lost it when you retired," Kaiba groaned.

"Did he ever have it?" Atem asked his lover, and Kaiba couldn't hold back a bark of laughter at that, even as Pegasus seemed so very proud of those words. As he leaned his head back into the hand that had begun to card through his hair, Kaiba began to wonder if he'd ever befriend anyone normal.


	19. New Holiday Traditions

Headcanon: Atem does more than duel and warm Kaiba's bed. I always figured he'd be like those A-list celebrities that rock the big screen but do an endless amounts of side jobs and charity work behind the scenes. With a king's upbringing and a brilliant mind, it would never sit right with me if he wasn't working himself to exhaustion every now and again.

0000

Weary, crimson eyes glanced down at his phone and a soft smile passed across the accompanying lips. Atem was riding home in a town car to his shared penthouse and he was absolutely exhausted. Seeing the text from his lover to inform him that he was already there warmed his heart.

The opening of the Virtual Reality Arcade was just around the corner, and Atem was lead consultant on the project. A former pharaoh and a manic CEO was certainly a vicious duo when it came to their love of gaming, and they spared no expense of their energy when it came to their baby.

However, now that crunch time was upon them, their week apart for the sake of work had been a small torture. Oh, they saw each other, very often in fact, but it was all work and no play. There were meetings after meetings to attend, vendors to contract, interviews to attend. Not to forget having to fix the moments where one (or sometimes both) of them succumbed to the pressure and lost their cool.

While Kaiba would throw a temper at his employees and rage at their expense, Atem would instead stand in a corner to try to catch his breath and babble in ancient Egyptian. One such incident was caught on camera and his breakdown went viral. It took a few of his friends in the Egyptology field to disclaim the dispute that Atem was not speaking a demonic mantra, just cussing like a teenager in the brink of control.

The Pharaoh slipped from the car, thanked his driver, and headed to the elevator. He could just imagine the nice, quiet night he'd spend with his friends after an exhausting week. Bakura was staying with them in the guestroom while on holiday from his university. He'd probably be having a conversation with Kaiba over light structure of pixels or some technical jargon involving game design. He could picture Tristan and Duke (who was in the country for the VR debut) in the game room, glass doors closed, and yelling at the TV as they played a shooting game.

Joey and Yugi would be in the Forbidden Card Room discussing their new game strategy for the New Year's event (it was duo duels and they were teamed up). Serenity and Téa would be chatting over tea in the kitchen while they prepared nikujaga for the night's meal.

Atem leaned against the elevator wall as he waited for it to rise to the top floor. Yes, tonight would be nice and familiar. They'd have dinner, Joey and Kaiba would snap at each other while Tristan and Duke would try to sway Serenity on a date on Christmas Eve.

Their penthouse was always busy with friends, and having it filled with their warmth wrapped around the tasteful displays of the season was all the better. So, when he moved the gate aside to their home and walked down the hall, he wasn't surprised to hear voices coming from behind the door.

Then later, when watching a movie with the group, he and Seto would sneak upstairs while everyone was distracted. They'd share a bath then drape against each other in Atem's bed and make slow, sweet love together before falling asleep in each other's arms.

After vigorous weeks like this, Kaiba was always massive cuddlier. He loved it when they were so tightly tangled together he sometimes couldn't tell which limbs were his when they woke up.

Atem's tired eyes spied his key as he inserted it into the knob. Yes, tonight would be a fantastic end to an exhausting week.

Or it would have been if only his dreams came true.

The moment he opened the door he was bombarded with noise of all sorts.

Joey and Tristan looked to be doing some sort of cheer about food and Téa was talking loudly on the phone. Duke and Kaiba were in a heated discussion… no, argument over dice predictability, and at the coffee table Ryou and Serenity were having an arm wrestling contest with Yugi cheering them on.

Atem's eyes widened at the chaotic sight, then, as he kicked off his shoes and his baritone hummed over the racket "I'm home!" everyone paused in their endeavors to look up and wave him in, before going back to their busy lives.

He smiled to himself. Yes, this was going to be a perfect night.


	20. Snowed In Blizzard

Mai Valentine yelped angrily at a woman who rolled her luggage over her boot. "Don't scuff the leather!" she yelled as the women walked away. The blonde pushed back her hair, puffed out her chest, and huffed in frustration.

She, and a thousand other individuals, were stranded at an airport due to weather complications. Her decision to make her destination was difficult enough, now the actual process of getting there was fighting her earlier resolve.

After an annoying round of unanswered calls to her benefactor, Mai pulled up the only other name she could think of that wouldn't hinder her plans.

"Téa? Téa, can you hear me?" Mai's voice rose into her phone as she tried to talk over the mass of angry voices around her. "Téa!"

"Y-yeah, Mai, I hear you," the girl on the other side nearly bellowed back, having to deal with her own loud environment. "It's good to hear from you-Tristan, stay out of the pantry! Dinner will be ready in thirty—sorry Mai, you were saying?"

"I wasn't," Mai blinked at the outburst. "What is going on over there?"

"Same as usual; we're at the guys' place for dinner," Téa said easily as she heard another yell.

A male voice growled in the distance. "You don't shave dice like you shave a deck, but either way it's cheating!"

"Téa, I have a favor to ask-" the blonde cut herself off as she was suddenly jostled by a man that rushed by with too many bags. "Hey, buddy, watch it!"

"Yeah? What is it?" the other girl asked on the line and then a chorus of "Hi Atem!" came in from the background.

"I'm trying to get ahold of the goons at KaibaCorp but no one's answering. You wouldn't have a direct line to some of the higher ups there, would you?" Mai tried to explain hastily as she slumped against a grey speckled wall and took a seat on the floor. She'd had enough of this mess and trying to maintain dignity only gave her sore feet. Next time she was not traveling in heeled boots no matter how stylish they were.

"Mmhm!" Téa chimed in happily. "Actually, Kaiba's here. Hold on-"

Seto Kaiba was… there? At the boys' apartment? Mai blinked at nothing as people walked by on tired feet and rolled their luggage about. There were times she forgot that life went on without her when she took to traveling. Recalling the fact that the powerful CEO and the resurrected Pharaoh were now an item was one detail she often forgot because the concept was so odd. But, she supposed, there was always a surprise waiting for her when she came around.

The world turned while she ran from it.

A cheering could be heard, and someone began to chant about some kind of nonsense in the background. Then a cold voice echoed. "No, you can't change the algorithms this close to release. We're going debut it in less than a week, it's too late to- what?!"

"It's Mai."

A bit of fumbling later and Kaiba snapped into the receiver. "What is it?"

"As cheery as ever, aren't you?" Mai rolled her eyes, even if he couldn't see it. But before Kaiba could snark at her she went on. "Hey, look, my plane's been grounded and I won't make it to the final test phase."

"Why didn't you contact my assistant?" Kaiba groused but he was less fire and more business.

"You sent him on vacation," Mai reminded him. "He had no knowledge of my change in contract."

"Right," the man bluntly agreed to his own mistake and went on. "Why don't you get an agent to tend to these details?"

"I can take care of myself," Mai bristled at the comment. She quite enjoyed her independence and having the smartass CEO tell her otherwise nudged her pride. "But the important thing is I'll be there for the VR Arcade opening ceremonies."

"You better. I had to finagle with Pegasus to get you off the Gold Series preview. He's going to hold that over my head for months," he complained without complaining, and Mai smirked at her own value that would make the partners fight over her.

Mai didn't know Kaiba well, but having spent a small bit of time around him it was safe to say she didn't see him as many of the other rich men she'd met in the past. Oh, he was broody, and arrogant, and selfish like the rest, but his heart was beginning to peak through. He always had it, she knew. A woman's intuition. Just when you think he's done a greedy deed, you turn a corner and he's already five steps ahead and set the whole thing up to give to another.

That was why this whole VR Arcade invite intrigued her. She was dead set on staying away from Joey and his friends over the holidays, but Kaiba was rather insistent when he called personally to negotiate her appearance at the Virtual Reality Arcade opening.

At first, he prompted her with money, paying more than Industrial Illusions did for her job on Christmas. Then, when that failed, he appeared to her vanity, and told her how big the VR Arcade was going to be, and how there was going to be international press releases about it. The concept was going to change console gaming for the world and having her at the forefront would do wonders for her reputation.

However, after an internal debate, she declined yet again. She was already making it big with I2, and she could remain closed off. She'd already decided long ago, years ago, that keeping away from friends during the holidays kept the emotions away as well.

But the last detail, the final word from Kaiba got her.

The holidays, this whole "keep to yourself" ideal she'd used for years, slipped at the simple notion that passed by. "You may think being selfish is the easy solution," he had said, his voice soft yet serious. "But you need to get over yourself. Whatever insecurities or desires you're running to or from is only getting in the way. Eventually, it'll stop chasing you and then you'll wonder why you're running at all. But, by then it will be too late to catch what you let slip away."

Blunt and rude and… true.

It took a day and a half before she called KaibaCorp back to arrange a flight and hotel. Deep down, the drawing of loneliness always crept behind her like a demon shadow; familiar and a quiet comfort. But maybe if she tried this once, just this once, to let the emotion filter in and see what those silly friends of hers were like at holiday… then maybe it wouldn't hurt all that much to let the shadow fade just a little.

"We can find another duty for your appearance at the VR Arcade that won't involve using the Pod itself," Kaiba replied smoothly from the phone but was cut off by Joey's boisterous voice chiming into the phone.

"Hey, moneybags, I got a bone to pick with you!"

The blonde woman smiled to herself at hearing that familiar voice. As grating and annoying as it might be, she still found herself grounded by the sound.

"What is it, Wheeler?" Kaiba's tone lost it business appeal and turned into deep annoyance. Some things never changed.

"You get all chummy with my roommates, but you don't even say hello!" Joey teased, and she was sure there must have been a mean inside joke in there.

With a sigh, Kaiba returned to the conversation. "I'll expect you to be there to fulfill your contract."

"Right, I'll see you there," Mai didn't roll her eyes this time, but she was tempted. There was another fumbling and then the whole lot of the room came alive in sound. The tech savvy billionaire must have thought he turned the phone off, because he continued his conversation boldly with Joey. He must have hit speaker because she could hear Yugi and Duke cheering about strength of men in the background.

"I'm not here to see you, Wheeler," the conversation continued. "So why would I say hello to you?"

"Well, I dunno, it could be that you can't seem to keep your hands off my friends," Joey's voice smiled wickedly.

"Wheeler, don't you dare-" Kaiba began, but Atem's deep voice penetrated their little conversation.

"Perhaps he's jealous, Seto," the melodic baritone beamed with dark cheer. Oh, he was a tease, wasn't he?

A moment's pause and Kaiba hummed in agreement as they teamed up against Joey. "Yes, he's feeling left out."

"H-hey! Now wait a minute here…!" Joey blanched, backing away.

"I think he needs a personal demonstration," Atem almost laughed and then there was a scramble of sound. Joey yelped, "I don't want your cooties!" and Kaiba yelled, "Get back here, mutt!"

Atem might be strong, and Kaiba might be powerful, but Joey's heart was what caught Mai the most. Even as he heard them bellowing in the background as a chase went on, she recalled his sweetness and his caring that was so sincere she could always feel it swelling in her own chest. He didn't see her as simply a duelist—or just a _female_ duelist in a man's game—but as a person that had feelings, too. He took time to mend her soul and carry it when it was weak.

He might be a dimwit at times, and he lacked a lot of grace when it came to women, but Joey was… Joey was Joey, and Mai liked that simple fact.

0000

Note: I only realized after the prompts were over that Mai would have been stranded for one to two weeks. Let's just pretend she had a few stops to make before heading to Japan.


	21. Cuddling by the Fire

A single lamp illuminated Atem's room because the sun wasn't doing its job, instead casting cool light that settled behind winter clouds as morning came. The penthouse was quiet and still, lingering upon a slow awakening. Two mugs of coffee and a small plate with abandoned toast sat at the Pharaoh's desk, the scent of soap and humidity lingered from the crack of the bathroom door, and the bed was already smoothed and made for the next night's use.

The couple was already dressed for work; Kaiba in a flattering charcoal grey suit with a deep blue tie. If he'd walked right out of the cover of GQ, Atem wouldn't be surprised. In fact, he probably wore a similar suit on his last photo-shoot when he was named the magazine's most eligible millionaire.

Atem's business attire was rarely so stark, opting instead for a black sweater with a deep V-neck, a white, oxford button down, and a violet tie. His slim-leg slacks were accompanied by a studded belt and he donned a tasteful variety of silver and gold jewelry. Atem was sure by noon he'd lose the sweater or the tie, or possibly both, and have his sleeves rolled up to his elbows as he got hands-on with whatever task he needed to pursue at the time.

People knew him, knew the quality of his work, and there were rarely any critics to his choice of business attire. Kaiba had once commented that he was a disgrace to contemporary fashion, but it sounded more like a compliment than not.

The easy, familiar routine of another morning was finished and the last step was to wait for their town cars to arrive to take them to their respective places of work. Kaiba was going to the KC building and would meet Atem later for lunch at the VR Arcade to help with the final preps.

What wasn't routine was the quiet make out session that began and Atem wasn't entirely sure what sparked it. He was at the closet mirror, adjusting his tie, when he looked over to spy Kaiba sitting at the edge of Atem's ornate sofa donning his socks. It was like he was drawn across the room, like a moth to a very seductive flame, and unable to resist the urge to touch and caress his lover. Atem slithered between his firm, supple thighs to drape his arms around his shoulders and let his fingers tug at the hairs at the back of his neck.

They were easily taken in the moment their lips pressed together and tongues began a dance of their own tempo. It wasn't about getting aroused but to enjoy the closeness of each other. A touch, a scent… Atem turned his head down to nuzzle at Kaiba's neck and breathed in the scent of soap and skin. A kiss, then he moved back up, slowly memorizing each stretch of long muscle of his neck on his tongue as he rose to find and ear. A hot breath brushed his cheek as he took the lobe between his lips and sucked.

Strong arms curled around him, braced his back and low on his hips, and Atem was pulled flush to his boyfriend. He loved these moments, simple and sweet, no rush and no objective. A time where they could simply _be_ and not have to worry about all the trivial institutions of the world.

But then Kaiba pulled back for the two to lock eyes. Atem's fingers cupped his jaw and this thumb hooked under his chin.

"Do you know just how much I love you?" Kaiba said suddenly, softly.

Atem hummed as he leaned in, their noses nuzzled before he laced a kiss upon his mouth. His beloved boyfriend was always a bit of a closet romantic, but he was rather dumbfounded at the rising passion he'd been displaying lately. Perhaps it was the holidays, or maybe they'd hit some sort of milestone in their relationship. Whatever it was, the Pharaoh was not complaining as he smiled against that hot mouth and answered. "I do."


	22. Bonus Chapter 3!

"I do." Those were the most impossibly perfect words to come out of Atem's mouth. They echoed inside Kaiba's mind, danced off his heart, and thrummed through his nerves ever since the morning sun rose over the city. Why were those words, simple and mundane, so decadently perfect upon his beloved's soft lips?

"I do." They sang like a carol, a solo from the myriad of pulsing rhythms that cascaded through his day.

"I do." He was a guy; he wasn't supposed to be thinking about these things, was he? Perhaps it was his previous conversation with Pegasus. He never said it, but the notion was hanging heavy in the air as they discussed the importance of closing off their relationship to the world.

"I do," the words breathed off his own lips, sealed him in, drove his heart. He would speak those words, someday, but he had no desire to break up their current situation. Mokuba was happy, Atem was happy. Heck, the dogs were happy. Dare say, Kaiba was happy. Yes… it could wait…

Just then a knock came at the door. "Enter," Kaiba intoned easily as he set his elbows on his desk, laced his fingers together and rest his chin upon them. A look of authority, he knew, and his piercing eyes like this could make even his boldest of secretaries scamper away in fear.

But it wasn't one of his; it was in fact the miniature version of his lover. Yugi came in, looking flushed and even then Kaiba knew it wasn't all from the cold outside.

"Yes?" Kaiba asked, intrigued that Yugi would come to him in the middle of a busy work day.

"Um, hi," Yugi said. He didn't stammer, no, he wouldn't be intimidated, but there was a hesitation to his voice. Whatever was on his mind was holding it on his posture, a wringing of his hands, a tilt of his lashes across his eyes. "I was wondering if you had a minute to spare."

Kaiba smiled then, slightly wicked, slightly sincere. Yugi was asking the mighty Kaiba for assistance? This had to be good. "I do."


	23. Shopping for Presents

"Hey, let's try this one," Téa cheered as she tugged Atem to yet another store inside the mall. Her arm was looped around his as they jostled against the bustling patrons and their own heavy load of shopping bags.

"Here?" Atem felt his cheeks warm to a blush and his eyes widened as he was dragged along.

Téa only laughed. "Don't tell me you're shy," she teased him boldly when they passed the lacy pink threshold of a lingerie boutique.

"I uh… could not say this is a store I would have selected," Atem admit. He was having a hard time holding up his manly vibrato when he was surrounded by pink frills and half naked mannequins

The two had decided to dedicate their evening to picking up gifts for the gang for the Christmas party; small, fun trinkets to bedazzle the festive affair. Then, Téa mentioned she wanted to check out a few extra stores to get something for Yugi and suggested Atem do the same for Kaiba.

He didn't protest to the endeavor, but he was wary of getting his own gift. Kaiba could get anything he wanted at any time and he would probably rub it off as too sentimental instead of saying "thank you" like any normal person. However, at Téa's suggestion to make it more of a memory than an object, he began hunting for ideas.

Lingerie was not that idea.

The woman's grin only grew wider. "Are you telling me that you and Kaiba don't dress up?" She asked then began to peruse the front displays.

Curiously, Atem picked up a panty from a display and examined it. It looked more like bits of string and a wedge of lace sewn together. "I can't say that we have," he confessed while his friend began to peak at the embellished undergarments. Reds and furs decked the place with the novelty of the season, carefully displayed beside add-ons like lotions and dust on glitter and… Atem picked up strange looking device. Eye lash curler? He shrugged.

Téa shoved her bags into the Pharaoh's arms then began building up her selection of garments in her arms. "You should try it. It's a lot of fun," she beamed cheekily at the man. "Come on," she said and grabbed his hand, almost causing him to upend their packages. "I want to try these on. I need a man's opinion."

"Téa," the man grunt and shied his eyes away from one of the over-worked associates who gave them a warmed hello. "I don't think I'm really the best person for the job." He knew he was blushing even if he was keeping his voice low.

"Don't be silly, you have a great eye for fashion," she complimented, trying to play on his pride. "Weren't you named this year's best dressed by Cooltrans and GapPRESS magazines?"

"Well, yes, but I…"

"Then come on!" Téa led them to the back of the store where the dressing rooms were located. After securing a room, she disappeared inside leaving Atem to sit awkwardly on a plastic chair and avoid eyes with the associates while he surrounded himself with a barricade of shopping bags.

As he waited, the Pharaoh peaked his eyes up from under his blond bangs to spy glances around the vicinity. He was pleased to note that not all the garments in the back resembled a steamy hotel romp but it was instead full of playful costumes. There was a wall with sexy school girl uniforms, and a rack full of half priced anime leftovers. He had to admit he liked the short, silky kimonos on display. The necklines plunged deep and they were certainly not wearable outside the home, but they looked elegant for what they were.

Finding his balls, he finally stood from his castle of bags and wandered over to the display.

"Oh, you do have a good eye," a young woman with a tired but honest smile came up to him. He noted her earpiece and keys around her wrist. "It's the most popular one this season. This is our third shipment."

Atem smiled kindly to her and took stock of the kimono he was viewing. It was a deep blue with white water designs and yellow and orange flowers. The picture of broad shoulders draped with dark blue while a lean, muscled chest bore open from the tease of the plunging collar entered his mind. Atem licked his lips as he imagined his own fingers slowly dancing up long legs to slip under the short hem of that touchable silk.

"Would you like me to hand this to your girlfriend in the dressing room?"

"Oh, we're shopping for her boyfriend. I don't think this is really his taste," he began, blushing slightly at the sudden daydream. He turned then and spied the other racks and beamed. "But he would like that," he pointed to a plaid, two piece school uniform. It would do wonders at showing off the athletic curves of his friend's feminine form.

"Excellent, I'll bring one to her," she said and rushed to do as she promised. After Atem made a turn around the costume section, Téa was ready with her first outfit. It was cute and modest, a bit of mesh and lots of pink. She put one hand into the air, the other on her hip to show it off. "Well?" she asked playfully.

With a wolfish grin, Atem nod. "Yugi is a lucky man," he jeered, getting a wink in reply. But he did mean it. She was a beautiful woman, but he most loved that what was on the outside paled in comparison to the beating heart that lay within. He recalled Yugi gushing about her a week ago… just talking, for no reason, his words a mad scramble to express to Atem how happy he was with her. So much so Atem was shy to admit that he tuned his partner out a little. They were a fantastic duo, Yugi and Téa, and he couldn't be happier for them. "But if you really want to impress him on Christmas Eve, I'd suggest the red one that was in the window."

Téa blushed, finally letting her confidence falter. "What? Oh no, that's much too sexy for me. Yugi likes it when I wear sweet things for him."

"Téa," the Pharaoh mused, raising a brow at her. "Yugi would love you in anything you wear, even a trash bag, but I think, after spending our adolescence together in the same body, that I have an idea of what might turn him on."

With high amusement, the Pharaoh watched as his friend's face turned red with embarrassment. "You… you really think he'd like me in something like that?"

"He'd love it," he encouraged.

"I trust your judgment," she agreed finally. "But what's with the school uniform? Is that something he'd like?"

Atem grinned again and gave a shrug of his shoulder, finally relaxing around all the frilly, girly undergarments. "It might be fun to try out."

"Uh huh, I think it's what you want to try on," the woman grinned right back, although the flush on her cheeks remained.

"What? No, like I said we don't-"

"Have you _tried_ dressing up?" Téa placed her fists onto her hips, staring down at Atem in mock scorn. "Maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't. There's only one way to find out."

"Téa, I don't know…"

That scorn turned up with a smirk. "Think of it this way; Kaiba never got to experience high school love. He gave away all those opportunities when he dedicated his life to his company and his brother. I think somewhere deep down his love of gaming is what little of his youth he ever allowed into his life." She paused for effect and let that notion sink in before she continued, her smirk more thoughtful now. "This is a way for you to give him a little something back without looking at the past. We know how he hates that."

"As sound as your theory is, it's a skirt and I'm not a girl."

"Kaiba's not gay," she blanched comically.

"He's not straight, either," Atem countered.

With a renewed smirk, Téa seceded. "Touché. How about this; I'll try on that piece from the window, if you try on the uniform."

"This is so weird," the Pharaoh breathed, feeling awkwardly pensive once again. Téa flagged down the associate to get her the item in question. When she returned with the piece, his friend gave him a knowing look. With a deep sigh he stood to address the woman while Téa went back to the dressing room.

"Excuse me," he asked her, knowing he was blushing something fierce but hadn't the ability to stop it. "If a guy were to… I mean, that is to say, if the clothes fit and… just to see if it would…"

The woman listened to Atem stammer for no more than a few seconds before she gave a soft smile. "I'll open a dressing room for you beside your friend. May I make a few suggestions?"

"Yes!" Atem mentally cheered at the woman's intuition. "Thank you, yes, that would be most appreciated."

A few minutes later Atem had a small gathering of costumes to try on. The first one was the school girl uniform he suggested for Téa. For the sake of both their pride, he'd never tell her he was a size smaller than her even despite how toned she was.

When he finished donning the outfit he turned to view himself in the mirror and about yelped in embarrassment. It was short, really short, and if he were, you know, up for intended play, it would not hide a thing. It had a little bit of extra give in the back of the skirt, giving the allusion of a fuller bottom. The outfit was a midriff, so his stomach and abs were clearly visible before his chest was wrapped around a sailor-like top with no sleeves.

Geeze, people paid money for four inches of fabric?!

"Atem?" his friend's voice filtered out from her own dressing room next door. "How does it look?"

"I'm not showing you!" he barked, his normal baritone hitched high.

"Come on, since when are you shy?"

"Since I can almost see my balls at the bottom of this skirt."

Téa's laugh lifted through the dressing room. Luckily, no one was around to hear them bickering.

"Let me see yours," Atem tried, curious to what _his_ pick looked like.

"Um, no way," Téa snarked. "This is way too revealing."

"And you think I'm blasé?"

"Whatever, Pharaoh," she jabbed playfully. A moment of silence passed between them where they could only hear the updated holiday tune thumping from the speakers. Then; "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

"I feel like a child," Atem complained but still poked his head out from behind the door of his room. He spied Téa doing the same. They passed a look between each other, not unlike two duelists sizing each other up before Atem took a breath and stepped out of his room. Téa followed, blushing red.

Again, their conversation was stalled between the thrumming of music as they sized each other up. It was the Pharaoh that broke the code first. "You're stunning," he breathed, and he meant it. The red mesh of the chemise cutout was drizzled with tasteful black lace. If she hadn't worn her own undergarments (for sanitary purposes) he could have seen her more than was appropriate. But he knew, he just _knew_ this was something Yugi would lose his cool over.

"Wow, Atem," Téa admired right back. "I didn't realize you were that, um…" her eyes trailed away, her blush renewed. But then, with a bout of confidence she said. "You should really wear that for Kaiba."

"You too," Atem began, but amended. "For Yugi, of course."

"Of course," she repeated, still not looking back at Atem. A beat passed between them, the unnamed awkwardness floated by. "Can I change back now?"

"Yes!"

Two doors slammed with red-faced individuals inside who were desperately tossing their clothes back on.

Before the hour had passed, Atem and Téa emerged from the store with more bags in their hands than when they entered. The Pharaoh had goaded Téa into a corset set as well, and she pressed up him to get a maid's outfit, too. She said Kaiba would probably have a nasty power trip over that one. He just rolled his eyes and laughed, but didn't disagree.

At the last minute, however, he did get the blue, silky kimono. When Téa mentioned it looked too big for him, he only smiled and said it wasn't meant for him.


	24. Badly Singing Carols

Mokuba had insisted on a Christmas tree this year, which honestly didn't surprise his brother. He'd always admired the towering trees inside the grand hotels they stayed at over the years. Kaiba himself liked to watch the engineering efforts put into setting the tree in place and hanging hundreds of decorations at impossible-to-reach heights.

So, he allowed for one of those fake reproductions into the apartment. No way was he going to let a real tree inside to infest the place with insects and dieses like at Atem's penthouse. The sap and dead pine needles was another story entirely.

At first, Mokuba had to take care of decorating it on his own. Kaiba was too far deep into his work at the sofa to bother, tapping away at his laptop with his favorite dog, Annalise, at his side. Then, as the Christmas carols were turned on to simultaneously annoy and provoke Kaiba into action, he somehow ended up looping the top boughs with lights and hanging baubles in places his brother couldn't yet reach.

With the over energetic family of mutts at their feet, curious to this alien object inside their territory, the loud tunes dancing into the air, and the easy atmosphere Mokuba had invoked with his laughter, it wasn't long before the brothers forgot themselves as they decorated. But it was Seto who began humming first. Recalling age old lessons he took during Gozaburo's reign, his humming turned to words, and soon he was singing outright to the carols. Mokuba quickly joined in, careful not to comment and just let things be. Two of the dogs, Walter and Cyan, began to howls along while Annalise had to be shooed away from the candy canes.

And this was how Atem found them. He could only stand there, dumbfounded, as the brothers sang with horrible tone against the holiday tunes. The younger Kaiba noticed first, his cheeks flushed bright pink at being caught. Even the dogs didn't react to the familiar body in the room, so happy with their master's good mood.

Seto only noticed a lull in the duet just as he belted out "Santa Clause comes tonight!" He turned his head where he was hanging a marshmallow figurine and yelped—actually _yelped_—when he spied the wicked smile of Atem.

A beat of embarrassment passed between them. The dogs barked happily at finally seeing Atem and rushed over to greet him. Then, the Pharaoh, still with his eyes locked onto piercing blue, thrust a hand to his chest, the other stretched out before him and he began to bellow. "You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout! I'm telling you why!"

Mokuba laughed at Atem's horrible baritone but chimed in along with him. "Santa Clause is coming to town!"

Stunned and frozen in place, Kaiba could only stare as his Pharaoh swept forward with a parade of dogs behind him. He bounced up on his toes and dropped a chaste kiss onto Kaiba's chin before he turned to help Mokuba with the decorations.


	25. Ugly Sweaters

While the rest of the world was looking forward to unwrapping presents on Christmas Day, the gaming world was drooling in anticipation for their Christmas gift; the opening of KaibaCorp's Virtual Reality Arcade. The critics were raving and the reviews were in. People from all over the world were flying into Domino to take a look at this marvel of tech that would change their way they gamed.

With opening day fast approaching, everyone was in a tizzle as they rushed to get the finishing touches into place. Atem was sweating a little as he ran about, poking at the tiniest of details and forcing a redo or giving a thumbs-up at a job well done.

Kaiba had once described their jobs like an octopus; Kaiba was the head where the brains functioned, while Atem was the body that managed the many arms. The analogy wasn't far from the truth. Although Atem worked for his company, he was the only person to get in Kaiba's face when the taller man came up with a poor solution. Many of the architects and designers quietly thanked the Pharaoh when he'd stand up for them, but more often than not Kaiba wasn't wrong and they would have to feel the wrath of both ego-strung boys.

That was why Atem was standing in the middle of a line of VR Pods inside the Arcade with a paper in hand and two grown men cowering at the young man's inspection. His feet were apart in a power stance and his hips were cantered just slightly forward. "The Pod is three inches off grid," he said to them, his garnet eyes flashing over the top of the papers.

At the look, then men began a slew of excuses and apologies.

He raised his free hand, effectively silencing the two. "I would see this fixed before we open."

"But sir," one of them begged. "It will take us all night to move it."

"Mm, yes, it will. Use Misuki and his crew to assist you. If you didn't make this mistake in the first place, you wouldn't be in this mess."

"Yes, sir," the man said, his already tired eyes dropping to the floor.

Atem smiled softly and reached out to put a reassuring hand on his arm. "You and your team have done an excellent job. I know you'll make this work."

The man smiled back, taking in his young boss's encouragement easily. Atem was tough but fair, yet never cruel. As the men departed to their work, Atem began to make his way down one of the rows of Pods, watching the workers as they went.

At first, he mused that this was more like an ant hive, then he retracted that thoughts and went more into the ideal of Santa's Workshop. Each individual worked together to stream a grand, coherent present. Each hand held a stem of creativity and added their own touches to the project.

When he came down to the main lobby where the reception and now-functioning café stood, he easily spied Kaiba leaning over a table with one of the workers on the other side. They were poring over a tablet and taking turns pushing something around on the touchscreen.

He bound over to see what they were up to. He put one hand at the back of Kaiba's chair, the other pressed flat against the table as he craned over his boyfriend's shoulder to see what they were doing.

With a frown, it was easy enough to tell it was some engineering snafu they were poking at. Wiring maybe? He wasn't sure. "Anything I can help with?" he asked professionally. Kaiba grunt and the plain looking man across from him didn't even acknowledge his presence, so soaked up into the tablet.

"Do you know how to wire a Pod?" Kaiba asked, hardly paying attention to Atem himself.

"No, but I'm good with puzzles," Atem grinned at him, even if it was unseen. Too many times had he been given a task he didn't understand only to trump the experts with his quick mind and logical output.

That was why Kaiba didn't push him away. He pointed to a… Atem wasn't sure what the image was, but before he could explain, a woman came up to the worker bee's side. "Mr. Kaiba, Mr. Moto," she said with a little bow. "I'm about to start up a few test menus for the café. Would you like us to make you something for lunch?"

Again, Kaiba grunt, neither a yes nor a no. Atem racked his brain for a name. "Miss Hano," he said, remembering her as the recently hired café manager. "Yes, soups and tea would be fine."

"Coffee," Kaiba barked.

Atem rolled his eyes. "Coffee as well. Both black."

"Oh wow," the woman cooed to herself and seemed to unconsciously lean against the worker beside her. "You two really must work together a lot to know his order."

Atem smiled politely at her, assuming there was a relationship between her and the man as he didn't push her off. "You learn a lot about each other through Duel Monsters," he amended before he leaned over Kaiba to probe the tablet with something he felt fit in the mess of images.

Kaiba grunt and lift a hand to flick Atem on the forehead. "Stop interfering before I told you how it works."

"I'm a fast learner," Atem teased and moved another object. When the young CEO went to remove it he paused, frowned, and left it alone to move something else.

"Oh. My. God." The manager suddenly chirped up. When Atem lift his eyes from the tablet, he saw her eyes go wide and she began to smack the man's chest in her excitement. "No way!" she said, exasperated.

"Yes?" Atem asked carefully with a raised brow.

"Matsuzaki," she said, still randomly probing the man without actually looking at him. "Do you know who these two are?!"

The man, Mastuzaki, groaned at the woman and didn't look up until she accidently poked him on the eye. "Yes, Hano," he said in a longsuffering manner. "This is the CEO of KaibaCorp, and that is," he adjusted his glasses, as if just noticing Atem there. "Mr. Moto, the reigning Game King. Now stop making a scene like a fangirl and get back to work before we're both fired."

"No," she breathed and wrapped her arm around his neck, nearly choking her companion. "No, it's _them_. The ones at the Duel Monsters local!"

"Don't be ridiculous. Why would the world's top ranked duelists go to a…" the man trailed off, and a moment later his eyes went wide as saucers. "No way!" he repeated the woman's earlier awed tone.

At that, even Kaiba looked up just as Atem realized what they were talking about. They were the couple at the local a few weeks back! They were in a similar position then, only Mastuzaki and Kaiba were playing a game and Atem was… oh dear, Atem, thinking they were well disguised, was hanging off of his boyfriend like a girl in heat. He didn't recognize either of them because, well, honestly, the man's face was forgettable and Hano was dressed to the nines in gyaru style.

"We've been hoping to run into you two again," the girl cheered happily, once more slapping the man's chest in her overexcitement. "Oh wow, we really wanted to have a duo duel."

"Wait," Atem quirked a brow, seeing as Kaiba was mentally mortified. Or something. He was just eerily quiet. "You're not going to make a fuss that we're…" he waved a finger between himself and Kaiba, of whom he was still leaning over. He didn't realize he was a bit frozen himself and slowly moved to stand.

"What? No way, I think it's awesome," the man's face lit up with excitement, baring evidence of why the two were a couple; they were both otaku in their own way. "We won't tell a soul if you promise to duel us!"

"Yes, tonight!" the girl cheered, clapping her hands happily. "At the big Christmas tree in Domino Square. You can come in disguise if you want. I'm sure if people saw you two dueling it'd cause a scene."

"Yeah, we're good but…" the guy stretched out his arms and cracked his knuckles. "We don't want to put you to shame in front of all your fans."

Kaiba finally seemed to rouse out of his stupor and gave a huff. "As if you had the talents to take me down."

"It's on, Mr. Kaiba!" the man threatened with a grin.

Seto leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms high on his chest. A smug smile rest on his lips and a familiar fire of a pending duel rose in his eyes. "Eight o'clock, and don't be late."

"Right!" the girl cheered and ran off to get their lunches.


	26. Putting up the Lights

"What the Hell is that thing!?" Hano yelped as her dragon was wrapped in cyborg vines and dragged underground. The snow danced around silently as the hole covered up, leaving no trace of Kaiba's trap.

The man in question laughed manically at the situation, which was dulled by the cheery atmosphere of a late night Christmas display. "I told you not to doubt my skills, but you wouldn't listen."

Matsuzaki grumbled at his girlfriend. "You're moves are too cocky! Be more careful!"

The gyaru girl stuck her tongue out, only making her outfit that much cuter. "I am careful. You've gotta back me up here!"

It was late at night; the sky was pleasantly dark to allow the massive light displays of Domino Square to be viewed easily by the few patrons left milling around. It was mostly couples, hand-in-hand, wandering about and walking slowly as they talked and admired the view.

Before the massively bright Christmas tree four duelists stood. Atem and Seto were in disguise, looking once more like hipsters with a floppy hat and tibly, respectively, to hide their hair and profiles. Their opponents were employees that just so happened to put two and two together when it came to their relationship. Luckily, all they asked for was a duo duel to keep their silence. They really weren't vindictive at all, and according to Kaiba's background check, no one would believe the otaku couple anyway.

Even with secondary decks they still were no match for the famous Duel Monsters rivals.

"Hn, that's the problem with working with weak partners," he said with a vibrato that he hardly ever displayed at work. It was wild and predatory, and made Atem shiver with desire. "If you are constantly watching each other's back, then you're not looking forward."

The Pharaoh gave Seto one of his trademark smirks then yanked his own card from his Duel Disk for his turn. He took a moment to examine it and formulate a plan. He then gave a wickedly triumphant smile over the top of his card. Hano and Matsuzaki both shuttered in fear at that smirk.

"Oh no!" Matsuzaki exclaimed in disbelief.

"Oh yes," Atem disagreed and gave a quick glance to Kaiba, who had his arms crossed and a shared smirk before he nodded. "This is the end."

Atem laid down a three-point combo of the Rose Deck, utilizing one of Kaiba's facedown cards. He decimated the field, leaving one monster and a handful of points for himself and his partner.

"You gotta be kidding me," Matsuzaki fell to his knees in disbelief. "I've never seen moves like that before."

"What did I tell you about weak partners?" Kaiba grumbled but his triumphant smirk said enough to his enjoyment of the battle.

Atem laughed lightly as he returned his deck to its holster at his belt and walked over to offer the man a hand up. "You put in a lot of effort," he said honestly. "It was truly admirable."

"No wonder you're the King of Games," Matsuzaki said in awe as he took the offered hand. He stared at his own for a long time after he let go. "I'm never washing this hand again."

"Ew, gross!" Hano chirped as she bounced over, her wildly colored wig streaming behind her. "If you don't wash your hand you're never touching me again."

At that, the man looked utterly torn.

Kaiba's Duel Disk made a few blipping sounds as he closed it up and walked forward. "Now, if you two losers are satisfied, we still have more work to do before the evening's done."

"What? It's almost nine o'clock," Hano pout at them. "You're still working this late? We were going to stay and walk through the lights. You should, too."

"I'm not CEO because I sat around peering into Atem's eyes like some love-sick puppy," Seto barked.

Hano must have only heard part of that sentence, because she clasped her hands together and cooed as if she just saw a cute kitten. "Aw, he does that?"

Kaiba opened his mouth to argue but Atem only grinned and responded first. "Only sometimes."

"Atem!" Kaiba ground out his name to not attract attention. A vein was throbbing on his temple and his eyes were dark with embarrassment hidden by anger.

"Seto!" Atem teased right back, his voice low as well, but his words were formed from a playful wink.

It was Matsuzaki who broke up their staring contest with a little, wheezy laugh. "You gotta keep the romance going somehow," he stated and put his arm around Hano's shoulder. "It's too bad you have to keep it a secret."

"Our friends are aware," the Pharaoh explained as he looked back at the two. He ignored the laser point glare he knew Kaiba was still giving him. Probably drilling a hole into his head with it.

"Yes," Kaiba agreed, his voice slowly dropping from frigid Artic to cool Siberia. "He simply couldn't keep it between the two of us."

Atem's grin rose up to Kaiba, and he watched as the other jerked back, waiting for the retort. "Admit it you enjoy kissing me in front of Joey."

"Oh?" Kaiba seethed, his cheeks slowly gracing pink despite his best efforts. Discussing their love life in front of anyone always put him on edge. Atem liked it; it was a nice trump card to get under his lover's skin. "I thought it was because you enjoyed having girl time with Téa."

"Yes, and the last time she and I had _girl time_ we came back with a present for you. If you didn't like it, I could always return it," Atem smirked and waited for his lover to secede. And he did, just as he knew he would. The reaction Kaiba had to that sexy school girl uniform was priceless and was a sure gateway to more dress-up playtime in the near future.

Kaiba simply crossed his arms and looked away, head aimed at the dazzling Christmas tree.

"Wow, you two are really in love," Hano teased, which only made Atem all the more proud. He puffed up his chest then nod.

"You should stay awhile and enjoy the sights," Mastuzaki said as he pulled his girlfriend away. "We're going to take a walk ourselves."

"Thanks for the duel!" Hano waved happily, and Atem replied. "Anytime!"

The Pharaoh turned to goad his boyfriend into a walk as well when he noticed he was no longer at his side. After a quick glance around, he spied the silhouette of that lanky man against the blazing lights of the tree. He was turned away, staring off, and his fists were clenched at his side.

That was not a good sign. Had he really make Seto angry with his comments? He was simply having a bit of fun.

Either way, he slowly made his way forward, careful to walk around another couple that passed by before he reached out to place a hand on Seto's arm. "You're pissed now, aren't you?" he stated.

"Amazing deduction," Kaiba growled and jerked his arm away. The fact that he didn't storm off was a positive, but Atem knew he was still treading on thin ice. A beat of silence passed while Atem began to conjure a smart reply when the other continued. "What I don't understand is why you have to embarrass me like that. Not only your friends, but in front of these _strangers_ as well. Why can't we keep it between us? Why do you have to force my hand?"

Atem blinked up at the man beside him. They were now facing the tree, the sparkles of the lights playfully danced in the air. Atem watched it for a long time, finding his answer to be shallow. "I'm not quite sure," he confessed, and at that Kaiba's piercing blue eyes flickered to Atem's own. "I think it's a part of me that wants others to know that you love me. You're not the easiest person to read and…" he paused, catching fleeting words. "I want people to know that you're human, too. That you're-"

"What? That I'm soft? Is that how you want people to view me as?" Kaiba finally turned to him, his expression all malice. "You don't make me weak, Atem, so stop pressing that image onto others."

Aghast, Atem turned to his beloved, watching the passion burn bright behind sapphire eyes. He was half in shadow, half bathed in dazzling lights of the tree. "I didn't mean-"

"You didn't mean to make me look frail? Then why do it? In fact, the complete opposite happens. When we're together you make me stronger, you push me like no one else can. My heart throbs harder in my chest knowing that you can break me in a moment if I slip up. And here you are, belittling yourself with stupid goads as if you do nothing than weaken my character."

Kaiba reached out with both hand to cup Atem's face, his fingers hooked behind his ears and his thumbs ran across his jaw. The Pharaoh couldn't find words to speak; this was not what he was expecting at all. Instead of childish bickering and temper tantrums, it felt more like a confession of love.

"You're an idiot sometimes," Kaiba affirmed and suddenly they were kissing. Atem blinked at the pristine skin so close to him in shock at the unexpected turn of events. However, this was his lover, his crazy, thoughtful, erratic lover. What else could he hope for? So, he closed his eyes against the blinking lights of Kaiba's heart and let himself get washed away. "Stop pretending you're anything less than worthy," Seto breathed into his mouth.

A hand dropped from his cheek to curl around Atem's slim waist to pull him closer. In response, the smaller man wrapped his arms around his middle and let his hand slide up Kaiba's back to his shoulder blades.

They stayed like that for some time, locked in a passionate embrace with the fleeting hope that their disguises hid their expressed love from the public eye. Seto didn't always have the right words when it came to love, but neither did Atem. They both messed up, they both learned, and they both grew. With that in mind, Atem gave all his love into these kisses, trusting that his beloved could feel the protective feelings of love that he neglected to speak.

Awhile later, Kaiba had agreed to a walk around Domino Square to look at the displays together. Atem was blown over with joy, although he knew in the back of his mind this wouldn't lead to bed. No, there was too much work to do for the VR Arcade to really indulge, but losing a few extra hours of sleep to spend a romantic evening together was worth it.

"Give me your Disk; I'll put it in the car. Why don't you get us some coffees?" Atem said as he gently pulled his own Duel Disk free.

"Sure, whatever," Kaiba agreed and handed his own Disk over.

Atem headed to the town car that was parked a block away. He nodded to the driver who opened the door for him then he plopped onto the seat as he pulled Kaiba's silver briefcase into his lap. The code to the case was a present for their one year anniversary a few months ago. It might not seem like much to some, but it was a real stepping point to Kaiba's trust with Atem being a part of his life. Not only did it host some of his rarest cards, but more often than not it held documents of game designs, his own written notes, and a number of private items that no one else was to touch.

When the briefcase opened, Atem easily slotted Kaiba's disk in place, then his own on top of it. He went to close it when it jammed. He frowned and pulled it open to find what object kept the case from closing completely when he spied a small box shoved in a corner.

He'd only meant to move it aside to make it fit against the extra Disk but the object in question quickly caught his eye. It was a jewelry case covered in black velvet.

Atem knew he shouldn't pry into Seto's private affairs. If it was important enough to entertain the Pharaoh with, then he would, but it was surely something not often found in Kaiba's possession. Curious, Atem pulled the box out and slowly opened it with a stiff creaking sound of secured hinges.

Inside was all the more surprise. It was a ring; a lovely, diamond studded piece. It wasn't overlarge, but shined beautifully even in the low light of the car's cabin. Atem felt his heart jump into his throat, knew it was throbbing hard as he turned the ring to glint at different angles.

It wasn't just any ring, it was an engagement ring!

Atem snapped the box shut and thrust it back into the briefcase as if he were burned. He moved the Disk to close the case the returned it to its hidden, secured space under the seat.

Atem slid out of the car and let the driver close the door behind him. His breath came in humid puffs before him as he stared straight ahead, his mind blank. He couldn't process this, not even to make his next move. Far be it for him to move in a dangerous battle with nothing but the skin of his teeth, this was something far beyond what the great Pharaoh could process.

"Sir… sir?" the voice of his driver echoed a few time into his conflicted brain before he came to. "Yes? Oh, sorry, what is it?"

"Are you okay, sir? You look a little pale," the man politely asked.

"Yes, I'm… I'm fine, thank you. Seto and I are going for a walk. We'll return soon," he said automatically and began to walk away.

As he came closer, the mighty tree loomed over the Square with its mass of lights dominating the space.

Marriage? He and Seto, marry? He knew he should be happy at this thought, knew it was only a natural step for them, but he had to wonder, as he watched his beloved come forward with two cup of steaming coffee-"They only carried domestic brands!"-why was he feeling a heavy threat of dread?


	27. Making a Childhood Holiday Wish cometrue

Heeled boots ground sidewalk salt onto the concrete as they made their way down a busy airport pass way. Manicured hands hailed the air at a passing taxi. A woman slid inside the backseat and caught her own reflection in the cabbie's rearview mirror to fluff up her mass of blonde hair.

"To your hotel, miss?" he driver asked when he finished loading her luggage.

"No," Mai began as she pulled out a tube of lipstick. "To KaibaCorp's Virtual Reality Arcade."

_Smack!_

"Wheeler, pay attention!" Kaiba barked after he wacked the blond on the back of the head. Even in virtual reality, he knew it would still hurt.

"Dangit, Kaiba, what'd ya do that for?!" Joey seethed, holding the back of his head. "I'm payin' attention."

The burnet snort. "Hardly. How many pixels are in that dragon?" Kaiba pointed to the virtual beast that decided to fly overhead.

"I dunno. Aw, come on, no one's going to ask these kinds of questions," Joey whined. "We're here to play a game, not take an exam."

Night had already fallen on Christmas Eve but the VR Arcade was still bustling with last minute preparations for tomorrow's opening. Kaiba crossed his arms tightly across his chest plate as he glared daggers at the mutt. His duelists were going to be doing the walkthroughs of different games available to the public, and he wasn't sparing the holiday cheer for the sake of perfection.

"Don't be so hard on him, Big Bro," Mokuba teased, putting his sword into its sheath. "He's just upset that he doesn't have a date."

"Shuttup!" Joey wailed, making the older Kaiba smirk. "What, like you got a date for tonight."

"Actually, I do," Mokuba thrust his chest out proudly.

"Geeze, is everyone hookin' up tonight?!"

"They better not," Kaiba grunt as he reached out a hand that created a pulldown menu out of thin air. He clicked on a few options before he closed it up. "Everyone has to be at their best tomorrow." He paused and then looked down at his brother. "Why didn't you tell me you had a date?"

"Because…" Mokuba's cheeks flushed, but his eyes didn't fall on Kaiba but looked instead at Joey. "I uh… didn't think you'd approve of the girl."

"Who is…" Kaiba began, but trailed off as his eyes followed his brother's to the blond. "Really?"

"Yeah, really," Mokuba said bashfully, head down and toeing the ground. Kaiba knew he was trying to pull at his heartstrings with his adorable panda face. It was working.

Joey stared at the two as they had a silent conversation. "Wait, what's going on? Who's your date?"

"Never you mind, Wheeler," Kaiba said and suddenly shouted. "End simulation."

The next thing they knew, they were looking at the glass panels lifting off their Pods as they returned from their adventure. Kaiba immediately turned to Mokuba as he clambered out of his own. "Is that why you asked to be done by seven?"

"You're not mad, Seto?" Mokuba asked. He almost looked ashamed.

But Kaiba shook his head, even if he did give a disapproving frown. "I can't say I'm thrilled to know you're taking Wheeler's sister on a date, but I won't dictate your personal life," Kaiba intoned but Mokuba beamed at his words.

He expected it, but it always took him by surprise when his little brother threw his arms around him and gave him a hug. "Thanks Big Bro!"

Kaiba straightened his suit and brushed off a bit of invisible lint before he pivoted around to roar at someone. Anyone. He really had a hard time getting mad about Mokuba and Serenity, it was just a date after all, but he knew he should be. What better way to let off steam, or create it, than yell at his minions?

"Alright, you dweebs, we have to go through the 5Z9 demo before-"

Before he completed his words he was cut off by a collective groan. "Kaiba, come on, we've been at this for hours." That was Duke.

"The simulations are perfect." Great, that was Rebecca. They were going to team up on him now. "There's nothing left to change."

He saw the weary faces of his crew; Duke and Bakura, though lesser known for dueling they both had a mind worthy of for gaming and technology. Joey, Yugi, and Atem, of course. Not to forget Rebecca Hawkins, Marik Ishtar, and Leon von Schroeder (his brother was effectively _banned_ from the Arcade).

"Come on, man," Joey tried. "It's Christmas Eve. Don't be a Scrooge."

Kaiba growled, actually growled at his team of top ranked duelists. "Lazy, the lot of you!" he grunt at them, but his eyes spied Atem, who gave a slight shrug and a half smile. Ugh, Atem always had the best argument, and they were so in tune he didn't even have to speak to word for Kaiba to know his boyfriend's thoughts.

He flicked his wrist up to look at his watch and glared at the glass cover. "There's not much else to do here until we start up tomorrow. You can go. But don't stay out late and no drinking! I want you all sober and ready when we open!"

"Yes sir!" Joey, Yugi, and Duke mock saluted and the group began to disperse and wander down the line of Pods to find their personal items. The young CEO ran a hand through his hair feeling the strain himself. They really had been working hard, and he could use a good night's sleep.

He headed to the office to finish up the last few bits of paperwork before ending his work day. Kaiba glanced at the door a few times, half expecting the petite royal to come bursting in and demanding a date. Actually, he was surprised when, an hour later, Atem hadn't shown his face.

Perhaps he was tired, too, or knew better than to bug him on an important night. Still, it was rather strange not to even get a goodbye kiss before Atem headed home, especially when it was a night for lovers.

He mused on this as he packed up his work, finished for the night. In fact, Atem hadn't called or text him in a few days. At first, he suspected overwork, but it was beginning an uncomfortable trend. Had he offended Atem somehow? Did Hano and Matsuzaki finding out thrown him for a loop?

… was he embarrassed about the sexy school girl outfit? That was unlikely; Atem was stunning (dare say beautiful) but he wasn't feminine. There was no shaking his manly pride.

So, what was it?

Kaiba continued his thoughts as he headed to the exit, taking a detour through the café. The place was nearly empty now, only the last few workers scrambling to finish their projects when he turned the corner and there he was, as well as his bothersome friends.

Instead of dealing with the annoying lackeys, Kaiba hung back to catch Atem when he was alone.

Tristan was there with his arm around a cute woman with a polite face. He was probably showing off his date to his friends. Yugi and Téa were standing next to each other, anxiously waiting to leave. Duke had a girl, too, but she looked less interested in him and openly gawking at the Arcade and the surrounding of famous duelists. Kaiba was curious why Marik and Ryou were hanging around—didn't their people celebrate the holiday differently?—but it didn't take a genius (which Kaiba was) to figure out why they were blushing and pointedly not looking at each other.

That just left Joey and Atem to smile happily at the couples around them and see them off.

Come on, get going already!

"Have fun guys," Kaiba heard Atem say, catching the middle of their conversation.

"What? No, you can't stay home alone on a night like this," Duke's date whined, and the dice master already looked to regret his choice of evening entertainment. "You can come with us!"

"What? No way!"

"But the King of Games shouldn't be alone on Christmas Eve," she pout at Duke, who swiped a hand over his own face.

"Hey, what about me?!" Joey chimed in, annoyed, but the girl didn't seem to notice anyone else but Atem.

The group _finally_ began to leave, Atem and Joey lingered behind to clean up their mess of coffee cups and wrappers, giving the burnt-out CEO the opportunity to make his way over. Kaiba didn't even make eye contact, simply began to tap at his phone, pretending to be busy with it. "Ready to go?" he asked Atem.

Both boys looked up and Atem hesitated. "Um, I was going to spend the evening with Joey," the Pharaoh explained calmly. There was a hesitancy in his words that Kaiba was not used it. He glared down at his boyfriend from the corner of his eye.

"What are you talking about? We have a date," Kaiba stated, not even opening the argument with options.

Atem crossed his arms and his crimson eyes narrowed. Somehow, even as small as he was the man could make Kaiba shiver. "We never discussed this."

"We're discussing it now, and the answer is, we're going on one," Kaiba grumbled and took Atem by the wrist in a futile attempt to drag his stubborn lover out of the Arcade. But that didn't last long as the thin wrist was yanked out of Kaiba's hand.

"Stop it, I said I'm not going," he barked back. "I'm hanging out with Joey tonight. It's not fair for him to be alone, and you never asked me on a date."

Kaiba turned to his lover. They were both glaring now and he was sure he could feel the electricity shooting between them. "I have your favorite chef at my apartment right now making us a meal. Do you know how hard it was to get him on Christmas Eve, even for me?"

"Then let Joey come with us," Atem stated. "We'll have a friendly meal together."

"Psh, hardly. Just because the mutt was too lame to get a date for tonight doesn't mean we have to suffer in his stead," Kaiba growled, meaner than he meant.

"Hey!" Joey yelled, fists circling the air. "Hold on a minute here!"

But Atem cut him off, coming to his rescue. "Joey is faithful to his heart. He could have gone on a date, but he decided not to, and I don't think it's fair to punish that loyalty by forcing him to spend it alone."

"So instead _I'm_ being punished?" Kaiba groused, anger setting in.

"You would have been wrapped up with work anyway," Atem argued with a small smirk on his lips. "Get some rest; it's well deserved."

"I don't want rest, I want you!" Kaiba yelled before he could rethink his words. He could feel his cheeks flush hot and that made him angrier at his words.

Atem's smirk turned into a smile, a little more genuine, a little less fire. He opened his mouth to speak when they were interrupted by a posh, women's voice from the door. "Well, if I didn't hear those words from your own mouth I wouldn't believe it."

They all turned to the newcomer.

And there she was, a vision of expensive clothing and California hair products; Mai Valentine smiled at the trio with a suitcase rolling behind her. "Sorry I'm late," she chimed in coolly, but the smile on her painted lips didn't leave her face. Nor did her heavily mascaraed eyes leave Joey.

"Mai," he mutt said, as if no one else could figure it out. "What are… how did… but I thought…"

"I was given a better offer than the Gold Series preview," she answered Joey's incomplete questions.

Joey stumbled forward a few feet, as if he wasn't sure what to do with himself, or her, or the situation at hand. "Mai…" he repeated instead, almost breathless.

The woman tilt her head to the side a little, her eyes squinting slightly with her smile. "Come here, ya big lug."

With open permission, the blond went to her. He immediately wrapped his arms around her shoulders, dragging his hands into her mass of blonde hair and held her dear to his chest. She responded with a hold of her own. The whole thing was an odd combination of a friendly hug and a passionate embrace of lovers.

Kaiba crossed his arms tight to his chest as he and Atem watched the two clutch at each other. "See? He's fine. Now let's go." The taller man reached down, aiming for the Pharaoh's hand, not wrist this time, but it was immediately pulled away.

Shocked and a little hurt, Kaiba yanked his eyes from the blond idiots to stare at Atem. "You have no obligations to him anymore. He got his holiday wish; what's your problem, Atem?"

"There is no problem," Atem faltered, taking a step back. "I'm… I'm tired, is all. We've had a busy month, and I don't want to be too exhausted for tomorrow."

"Since when has a missed hour of sleep kept you away?" Kaiba grunt, once more surprising himself at his own open confession and his own whining for his boyfriend's attention.

"I'm tired, okay?" Atem seethed, his eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "Drop it, Seto."

Kaiba could only stare, dumbfounded, as his boyfriend walked away from him. What on earth was going on? Was he losing Atem's affections?


	28. Work Holiday Party

Christmas Day came, but Santa lay forgotten on his gift giving spree when Kaiba took the stage. The hologram of Blue-Eyes White Dragon soared over the Virtual Reality Arcade and cut the red ribbon (more like _shattered it to bits with its amazing White Lightening Attack!_). Kaiba and his crew couldn't be more pleased as the plethora of name droppers and tech wizards rushed in to see the set up.

Live bands played at the venue, food was served on all five floors of the Arcade, and games were humming inside the Pods leaving their players astonished and raving at the experience's success. Children were among the elite, orphans the Kaibas had invited. That was Seto's favorite part. He had to keep his smug smile on for the presses, but the children he didn't have to fake it for. They truly were excited, and it warmed his heart to see them try to best a game created by their hero.

Yugi, Atem, and the other duelists were a hit as well. They were constantly pressed for interviews and their true love of the concept was easily displayed before the reporters.

At the conclusion of the event, Kaiba and Atem stood side-by-side for the parting photos before the VR Arcade's doors. As Kaiba put his large hand on the Pharaoh's strong shoulder in a quiet display of appreciation for his hard work in the project, the flashing lights from the cameras went wild. The stoic CEO giving an equal footing to anyone? Aghast! Just as Kaiba predicted the presses ate up the little move. They plastered on fake smiles and gave polite waves before they, and their line-up of star duelists, left the stage to head to head out.

But the display of affection was fake, plastic, and difficult after the conversation they had not an hour before.

Kaiba had rushed up to the manager's office to grab a file for a prospective partner in China. He would have sent an assistant but they were hung up with their own set of interviewers. And there Atem was, nose-deep into a filing cabinet's top shelf. He would have commented on the fact that the petite royal had to stand on a chair to look into the files, but decided on better words.

"There are still a handful of kids on the third floor waiting for your autograph," the mentioned conversationally as he headed behind the desk to pull open a drawer.

"Mm," Atem mumbled without looking up.

"And GaP wants to have a word with you about next season's duelist's wardrobe, although this is hardly the time or place."

"Mmhm," again he responded without acknowledging Kaiba.

Disgruntled, Kaiba snapped the drawer shut and said bluntly. "I want to strip you naked and ravage you on the roof."

At that, Atem finally looked up and over his shoulder, giving his boyfriend a look that clearly stated he'd gone mad. "Don't be obtuse, there are children here."

With a wicked grin, Kaiba stood and made his way over. "Is that your only objection?" he said, his dark look turning from anger to a mock-lust, and mocking only because he knew they weren't going to actually do it right now. "I just wanted to be sure you were paying attention," he said as he reached out to walk two fingers up the back of Atem's thigh, just under the crease of his buttocks. Just how he knew he liked it.

But the Pharaoh turned and swat at the offending hand with a handful of papers. Being on an unsteady chair, the move pushed the Pharaoh off balance. He began to teeter and fall forward. Luckily, he fell right into Kaiba's arms, and with some maneuvering against his weight, they both went crashing down to the ground, papers flying everywhere like leaves of autumn. The landing was perfect, at least to the CEO's advantage.

He rolled on top of the dazed Pharaoh and grinned down at him, his body effectively caging him in. "You're right, the floor is much better than the roof," he commented the sealed his lips against Atem's.

With an inner cheer of triumph, Kaiba knew his fears of Atem's distance was a misunderstanding. It had to be, because their first kiss in almost a week was met with an equal kind of longing that he pressed into the other.

When a familiar grip of gentle hands took to his hair, Kaiba was honestly reconsidering celibacy until the end of the Arcade event when those small fists began to tug. Kaiba huffed an annoyed burst of air from his nose and deepened the kiss all the more. He found a break in the Pharaoh's lips, and immediately thrust his tongue into the wet cavern of his lover to reestablish his rightful place within his mouth.

"Mmwait…" Atem attempted to say around Kaiba's possessive tongue. The tugging on his hair became more insistent, almost painful, when Kaiba growled. He was mentally calculating how fast they could shed their clothes when Atem suddenly nipped at his tongue.

He pulled back and rolled his tongue in his mouth to taste for blood. When Kaiba found none, he glared down at his petite boyfriend, ready to retort but was halted at the sight. Atem looked just as ready to be ravaged as Kaiba wanted, trained to go from zero to sixty as they often did. His lips softly moved with each heavy pant, his garnet eyes dark with sudden lust, and even the tie of his suit was askew, just begging to be ripped off for Kaiba to suck at the neck hidden underneath.

He leaned down to recapture the lost treasure of Atem's mouth, when a hand slapped over Kaiba's, effecting stopping any future kisses. So, unable to speak, Kaiba simply growled angrily.

"We can't do this," Atem said suddenly, the light of sanity suddenly returning to his eyes.

"Wut?!" Kaiba barked behind that hand. Annoyed by its presence, he licked the palm. Predictably, Atem jerked his hand away but only long enough for Kaiba to attempt another kiss. So, instead Atem used that hand to smack Kaiba across the face.

That got the burnet's attention. It didn't hurt, but the slap did effectively halt his advances. "I can't do this," Atem amended, his eyes full of wild oscillations of emotions.

Shocked, Kaiba blathered, his head stuffed with cotton and confusion. "This? What? You mean sex? It'll only take fifteen-"

"No, not sex!" Atem nearly yelped, his voice rose to a near panic. When he wriggled out from under his lover, Kaiba let him go. "_This!_ I can't do this!" he explained without making sense. He backed himself against the wall near the door, his eyes wide like a caged animal. "I can't marry you!"

The words rang loud between them, hung in the air like a putrid smell of rotten garbage. Shocked by so many emotions and questions, Kaiba couldn't wrap his mind around it. All he was aware of was the fact that his heart was shattering into pieces and falling out of his chest to scatter the floor with the many loose bits of paper. "Atem?" was all he could come up with, the only word that mattered. A word uttered so soft and broken it was hardly a word at all.

"I'm sorry, Seto," Atem relented; hurt filling his eyes as well. He turned away, as if he were unable to look at him anymore. Disgusted? Betrayed? Angered? Kaiba wasn't sure, but Atem's swift exit was met by the gentle closing of the door.


	29. Eating Candy Canes

Kaiba sat on the couch of his apartment, still in his suit. The Maltese mix dog looked up at him with her big brown eyes in worry, but even Annalise in her cuteness couldn't pull the man out of his paralyzed state.

Atem's words echoed in his mind as he replayed them over and over again, like a record trapped on its spindle. "I can't do this! I can't marry you!" the Pharaoh had bellowed, practically cried like a defensive barrier. Were they that in sync with each other that the Pharaoh knew what was on Kaiba's mind? Did Atem not want a future with him? Had he pushed too hard?

"I can't marry you!" he had said once, but was now a mantra behind Kaiba's closed eyes.

They had worked so hard to get where they were. They began as enemies then turned to rivals. It took time and patience to fall into any form of friendship, but the careful, gentle nudges to end up in a relationship was so natural Kaiba thought there could be no union more perfect than theirs.

Did Atem not love him anymore?

Seto tried to imagine this situation like a game, like anything else in life, and he couldn't fit it to suit his needs. This was Atem's play. If his heart had really left him for good, then was this game over?

Then he tried to imagine his life without Atem, and his heart broke all over again. Kaiba sighed and rest his elbows onto his knees, his head in his hands, and felt the dog in front of him get onto her hind legs to attempt to console him.

He heard the familiar thumping of socked feet on wood, and the click-clack sound of nails of the two remaining dogs following his brother. "See you later, Seto! I'm headed to Ami's Party- whoa, what happened to you?"

Kaiba looked up at his brother, fist over his mouth, and frowned. "Nothing," he said, surprising even himself at his even tone.

But Mokuba didn't buy it. Of course he wouldn't. He pulled a candy cane out of his mouth and plopped onto the couch beside his brother. "We had a great start today," the younger Kaiba began. "The VR Arcade was a success. So, why aren't you strutting around Yugi's penthouse rubbing it into everyone's faces? I thought Téa was having a Christmas party after you guys were done with the Arcade."

"They are," Seto answered, and reached down to gently pet Annalise on the head. She wagged her tail lightly in response but stayed straining for comforting attention. "But it's of little concern to me."

"Big brother?" Mokuba asked, putting a hand onto Seto's arm. After a few seconds of his brother's scrutinizing stare to where Kaiba was beginning to get uncomfortable, the younger piped up. "What did you guys fight about this time?"

Icy blue eyes shot to soft brown. "That's none of your business."

"It is when it concerns you," Mokuba stated, then popped his candy cane back into his mouth, stood, and held out a hand. "Get up. Take your shower and get dressed for the party."

"I'm not going," Seto growled lowly, although he sat up straighter. "And get that thing out of your mouth. Do you want cavities?"

The boy grinned around the holiday treat and kept his hand out. "If you don't go, then I'll have to stay here to keep you company, and then we'll both be depressed about missing our parties."

"What? Mokuba, don't be ridiculous. Go to your party."

"I can't if I know you're here moping."

"Are you blackmailing me with guilt?"

"Is it working?" Mokuba beamed.

Kaiba grunt and stood, making the boy grin all the more. "You've been hanging out with Atem too much," Kaiba muttered. "You're getting sassy."

Mokuba wagged his brows and his candy cane happily in response before he said seriously, "It's not like you to give up if you miscalculate a move. Come on, bro, go to Atem and fix whatever you guys are going through. If words don't work, just bring your deck and duel him into submission."

Kaiba rolled his eyes but smiled.

Atem tucked his feet before him, his knees crooked on either side, as he twirled around on his office chair in the Forbidden Card Room. He looked like a child, having dressed down from the stuffy suit into an overlarge, knitted, violet sweater and soft pants, and his lips were turning red from the cherry candy cane sticking out of his mouth. The sounds of bad Karaoke and laughter came from the entertainment room, and the warm conversation he could hear from the ajar door of the Forbidden Game Room was pleasant. But he was avoiding it all—the Christmas party they all worked so hard to put together—in preference of a good moping session.

Excusing himself from the plethora of friends whom he considered family, even bypassing Téa's homemade Christmas cake, he slipped away from them to say he had to put his deck away.

It had been at least fifteen minutes, and he was sure someone would come bursting in within the next ten to drag him out to play Ryou's new holiday themed board game, or to catch up with the Ishtars. Serenity had brought in a sweets game, too. Two candies were sweet, one was sour, and each person ate one not knowing who would get the sour one until someone scrunched up their face in discomfort.

He simply wanted a solidary moment to consider the utter shame he felt for what he'd said earlier. It was a confusing feeling, to not have the right words and to panic under pressure. Restoring the balance of their relationship was going to take care, and Atem still had to consider why he suddenly had cold feet. He didn't realize how devastating his untrained words could be until he saw the moment that he broke Kaiba's heart.

Atem was sure Kaiba was furious after he picked himself up off the floor. How could he not be angry with Atem for his stupidity? He'd since decided to give the man a few days to cool down before approaching him.

But that thought quickly vanished when the door creaked open and there he stood, the man currently occupying his thoughts. He looked good, although not festive, in a tight pair of slacks, a black, long-sleeved t-shirt under a dark grey V-neck sweater that fitted perfectly to his body. His hands were tightly fisted at his sides, eyes piercing blue like the blade edge of ice, and he was radiating a chill not unlike that of an open refrigerator.

"Do you want to explain to me what this is all about?" his voice was just as cold as the rest of him.

The words jump-stared the Pharaoh's brain back into the present. He leapt off his chair and headed to the door beside his intruder. "Not really," he stated sullenly around his candy cane, his words still a jumble inside his mind. But with a quick snap the door was thrust shut and Kaiba's heavy frame leaned over it.

"I think you have to," Kaiba growled above Atem, who had his hand and eyes firmly set on the doorknob. He tugged at it, meeting resistance at Kaiba's forced closure.

"Seto," he gave warning.

"You're not leaving," Kaiba didn't even snap at him, his words all but dead. Everything was smooth and cool, which was more frightening than if he were bellowing and filled with fire. "We're going to talk."

After realizing that getting past the taller man was futile, Atem turned away, instead opted for a short turn around the room with the candy cane now in his hand. "I can't do this…" he muttered, the only words that seemed to explain his feelings.

Kaiba moved off the door and crossed his arms high on his chest as he watched Atem pace like a cornered mouse. He filled the space he inhabited with want, but underneath that, despair. "Do you want to break up with me?" he said finally, the words soft on defeat but very clear.

"What? No, I… no!" Atem took a step closer, to comfort, to confirm, before he caught himself. He was filled with so many shapeless emotions; he didn't know how to put them together. "I love you, Seto," he said then, honestly, because that was the one truth in the mess of things that remained constant.

"Then what is your problem!?" Kaiba's chilly demeanor suddenly snapped and that fiery passion of his flared out like a volcano. "You've been avoiding me all week-"

"I'm not ready to marry you!" Atem blurt out, another thought sitting constant on his mind.

"What? Who put such a stupid notion into that spiky head of yours?!"

"It's not stupid!"

"Are you defending what you just protested?" Kaiba growled, frustration clearly written on his face.

"No… yes… I don't know!" Atem flailed about for words. How could he give so many speeches about love and friendship but fail when it came to his own desires for the man before him?

Kaiba strode forward and put his hands on Atem's shoulders. Before the smaller man could react, he was thrust back into his chair and the candy cane taken from his fingers. "You should organize your thoughts before you speak," he said sternly as he loomed overhead. "You're getting emotional like a woman."

At that, Atem bristled, his focus turning deadly on the man before him. He thrust out his chest and barked back. "I saw the engagement ring in your silver case," he yelled, clarity suddenly coming out of his passion against his rival. "I know I've been asking you to take a step forward in our relationship, but I'm not ready for… for… _that_ just yet!" Atem felt his breath coming in pants, drawn up against the man not unlike a fierce duel. He met those sapphire blue eyes, charging forward while the man waited for his turn. "I love you, I'm _enthralled_ by you, but I enjoy my independence, too. I'm _happy_ with where we are right now, and to change that is… it is…"

Atem broke off his rant for a moment, to steel himself for rejection; that chance card that could be defeated but he was going to play it with faith as his guide. "It's frightening."

But to his surprise, Kaiba's eyes narrowed not with disgust, but rather held thoughtfulness. He leaned forward into Atem's personal space and rest their foreheads together. "Atem," he began, his dark tone amused. "That ring wasn't for you."

"I don't-" Atem began, but when Kaiba pulled back with a smug smile and popped the candy cane into his mouth, he knew he had to wait his turn, just like in a duel.

When Seto pulled that sugary confection out of his mouth he continued. "Yugi asked me to hold onto it because Téa was deep cleaning the penthouse for the party and he didn't want her to find it."

"Yugi… and Téa…?" Atem stammered, his cards not matching up.

Kaiba raised a brow at him, again sucking on the candy cane. "I would have thought the pipsqueak would have told you."

The Pharaoh blinked up at his boyfriend, confusion forming on his face. Had Yugi told him? He might have. He'd been so wrapped up with work, and admittedly Yugi frequently got onto happy daydream rambled about Téa, he probably zoned out on him.

"Well?" Kaiba asked.

"Uh…" Atem's cheeks turned hot with embarrassment, and that must have been enough of a confirmation for Kaiba, because he gave him a peace offering. A half gone candy cane. Atem took it and placed it passed his lips, if only for something to distract himself from his thoughts.

"I love you, Atem, but we're obviously not ready to get married yet," Kaiba stated, making the smaller boy look up in wonder. "If this week is any evidence," he declared as he turned away, pushing off the girly feels with a power stance and feigned disinterest. "Next time you have the urge to pull an emotional stunt like that, get out your deck and duel me over it. We're better that way."

"I will be sure to do that," Atem said, grinning like the fool he was. He pushed himself off the chair and curled his fingers around Kaiba's hand, happy to note they were held in return. "I'm sorry," he admit honestly, ducking his head for his shame.

"Hn," was his lover's reply, but his actions spoke for him. He curled his fingers under Atem's chin, effectively lifting his head enough for Kaiba to drop a kiss to those candy cane red lips. And the candy cane, as it was still in his mouth.

As their sweet kiss lingered, the door burst open with a loud, cheerful voice filling the otherwise quiet room. "Found 'em!" Joey bellowed behind him. "They were making out!"

"What?! We were not!" Kaiba yelled back in defense as they yanked apart.

Joey just laughed and made his way between them, parted them, and wrapped his arms around both their shoulders. While Kaiba's glare could freeze Hell, Atem only grinned, noting that, yet again, the candy cane was back in Seto's mouth. The blond led them out of the room and explained the reason for his intrusion. "Come on guys, we're going to play charades. I bet Duke that Mai and I could beat you guys. And, since you two aren't that good with pop culture, it's a shoe in!"

Atem laughed merrily while Kaiba looked ready to beat the living crap out of his friend.


	30. Bonus Chapter 4!

When the party wound down and the guests left, leaving a few lingering friends watching a holiday movie in the entertainment room, the rival couple made their way upstairs. A gentle, string rendition of holiday tunes played from the TV in Atem's room while the image of a fireplace crackled before it. Several candles were lit to add a soft glowing radiance as the boys sprawled out on the bed, Atem half on top of Kaiba, kissing each other with a loving passion.

The young CEO's hand crept under the back of his lover's overlarge sweater, feeling the heat radiate off his skin. It was intoxicating, just like the sugary sweet tongue that was slowly building a fire with its manipulations inside his mouth. But that perfectly soft mouth slowly pulled away to begin to lap at Kaiba's neck, causing the other to squirm at the intrusion onto his sensitive skin. His fingers curled into that spiky hair and he began to speak. He wasn't sure why, or where it was going, but keeping quiet after a long day of work, party, and emotional turmoil just didn't seem right.

"I enthrall you?" he asked, teased the smaller man.

"Mmhm," Atem agreed as he pulled Kaiba's sweater down to place lazy kisses onto his collarbone. "Would you expect anything less?"

"I suppose not," he agreed. His pants were suddenly feeling rather uncomfortable and he shifted to try and find a decent position without ruining the slowly building pace they had going.

"Do you ever think about it?" Atem asked hotly against his neck.

"Hm?" Kaiba mumbled, his mind slowly phasing out. "'bout what?"

"Marriage."

At the simple word, Seto drew back to the real world. A small tug at Atem's hair and the boy was facing him, eyes bright like rubies in the firelight. "You are already deeply rooted into my life," he began, then added. "And Mokuba's." Because, that was just as important. He drew his fingers across his beloved's cheek, gently stroking that yearning question away as he came to a conclusion. "I have something for you."

"Hm?" Atem tilt his head to the side with a contented gleam in his eyes. It was an action either out of confusion or into Kaiba's touch. He wasn't sure, but it was cute just the same.

"There's a present for you in my overnight bag," Kaiba explained. "Go get it."

At that, Atem snort. "Too lazy to get it yourself?"

"No," the man disagreed, leaning up to nip a kiss at his nose. "My boner won't allow me to walk."

A bubbling chuckle left the Pharaoh but he still complied. He rolled off his lover and took the few steps to his desk to the bag and ruffled through it. While he was busy, Kaiba sat up against the headboard, Indian style, and shucked his sweater and undershirt, tossing them unceremoniously to the floor. He usually took his Duel Monster's pendant off as well but tonight he opted to keep it on.

When Atem returned, he made himself at home in Kaiba's lap without an invitation, comfortably slotted to his side. He just belonged there. Kaiba's hands slipped under his sweater again, only to lift it further up and over his head. His hands immediately went back onto Atem's body to stroke the newly exposed skin while his lover peered down at the present in his lap.

It was small, wrapped in oxblood red wrapping paper and tied with a gold, satiny ribbon.

"I thought we weren't doing gifts," Atem said, almost nervously, but Kaiba only smiled and kissed his temple.

"You already gave me a present," he murmured against his skin. At Atem's confused look he went on. "You gave us the gift of roleyplay in bed."

Atem snort. "You're a pervert."

"And you're not?" his boyfriend countered smugly, getting a delighted chuckle in reply. He then tugged him closer, to get his side snug against Kaiba's chest. "Open it."

And the Pharaoh did, quickly depositing the beautiful wrapping to reveal a velvet jewelry box. "This better not be a ring," he warned, only half joking.

"Just open it."

Hidden under the protective casing of the box lay a charm they'd both seen before. It was a necklace with a Duel Monster's card pendant, hand crafted, none of those Made in China replicas. It didn't take the Game King long to figure out it was a locket, just like Kaiba's, and he opened it to reveal a half picture of his lover.

Kaiba looked down on him for what seemed like ages, his own pendant lying flat on his chest. He was sure it was bouncing lightly with his heavy heartbeat as he waited for Atem's reply. As the minutes ticked by, Kaiba began to tense up. Had he made a mistake? Was this too much after the day they had?

His fingers twitched lightly in uncertainty at Atem's waist as he tried to explain. "Mokuba agreed that you should have one, too," he struggled to say. "It's not a proposal, more like a promise."

Atem still hadn't looked up, and Kaiba was wrought with worry when small fingers lifted to his own pendant and slid the locket opening. It showed the familiar image of Mokuba from their younger years, but on the other side of the locket was Atem on the other half of the picture.

"If it's too much I can-"

"It's perfect," Atem's voice quivered, so soft Kaiba had to strain to hear it over his own excuses. Then, finally, he looked up and Kaiba was graced with garnet eyes that shined like gems with unshed tears clinging to heavy lashes. "Seto, I love it." He craned his head up and Kaiba met him in a kiss. It was soft and sweet and Gods, when had they become such _girls?!_

When Atem pulled away, he slipped the locket over his head so they were both wearing one over naked chests. The Pharaoh touched it with a flat palm, right over his heart. "Thank you."

Instead of blathering on like a couple of sentimental idiots, Kaiba relinquished Atem's mouth from any duties beyond kissing and moaning. Seto couldn't picture a more perfect holiday gift, as they slowly pulsed their smoldering flame into a roaring fire. Atem felt like home—no, he _was_ home—and his heart soared to the skies knowing that he was loved.

He reached high, filling his senses with all that Atem was. They raced past the clouds and dipped around the moon, allowing for stars to explode before their eyes and gather the pinpricks of light into their hearts.

Later, much later, when their friends were snuggled warmly into their rooms, the rival couple were cuddled together under the heavy blankets of Atem's bed. The Pharaoh's back was pressed to Seto's chest, and Kaiba's arms were draped around him like a protective eel. He gently stroked Atem's locket where it lay against the sheets and those sleepy, crimson eyes watched him as he began to drift off.

"I do think about it," Seto said gently, like the dying candles around them. "Marrying you."

Atem's eyes finally closed but his smile said he heard him. "Mmhm?" he hummed.

"And when you propose," he whispered into his ear, but the smolder quickly jerked away. "I want romance and roses," he suddenly demanded. "And you better get down on one knee or the deal is off."

The renewed chuckle, sleepy though it was, resounded warmly into the room. Atem lazily pat the hand on his locket as he responded. "I'll be sure to get you a diamond as big as your ego, dear."

"And fireworks. Lots of fireworks. I also want it themed around my Blue-Eyes-" Kaiba petered off when Atem waved a hand in a groggy manner to push his boyfriend away. Seto caught that hand and kissed it, before he let their now entwined hands lay back onto the locket. Then, as he settled down for a serious confession, he let his voice fall to a murmur. "I love you, Atem, and I want to grow old with you."

His beloved didn't reply, only squeezed his hand, and that, he supposed, was it for the night. About a minute passed of silence, and Kaiba felt himself drift away when Atem suddenly piped up. "I love you, too, Seto, and I look forward to challenging you to a wheelchair race down the corridors of our nursing home."

Kaiba didn't miss a beat. "Card games on wheelchairs?"

"Card games on wheelchairs," Atem confirmed, and they both fell into childish snickering.


	31. Traveling for the Holiday

The chilly air pushed wisps of snow about a midnight shrine as two battle hardened warriors faced off against each other. Atem was wrapped in darkness; aside the deep blue of his kimono, the formal hakama and haori were ceremoniously black. The crests over each breast were embroidered with gold in the shape of an eye. His deck holster at his belt was like a sheath to a samurai sword, but his choice of weapon was already in his hand, the Duel Disk was strapped to his arm ready for a great battle.

His opponent laughed darkly across the chilly battleground. "Today, I'm going to show you one of my special cards!" Kaiba bellowed with a self-satisfied smile just begging to be wiped off his face. In contrast to his rival, he was draped in the light. His white, sleeveless haori was crested with two silver dragons, looking suspiciously like his white trench coat. Despite the black kimono, the hakama was a mix of blues, the design looking like a waves crashing on shore.

The tall warrior thrust his arm into the air willing his Disk to follow his command. "New Year's Greeting card, open!" The card's hologram lifted from its facedown position, revealing a simple greeting on its front. "Happy New Year!" the man bellowed, less as a greeting and more like an attack.

"In that case, I'll do this!" Atem roared right back and arched his arm dramatically across the falling blizzard. "First-Dream Three-Linked Combo!"

His three cards lifted up; the holograms alight against the dark. "One Fuji! Two Hawks! Three Eggplants!"

Before either warrior could react to the play, a sudden yell came across the expanse. "Aaaaand, cut!" the director queued and the spotlights suddenly turned on.

It was indeed nighttime before a shrine, but the falling snow was fake, as was the duel. In fact, Kaiba showed his dislike of it by growling at the silver-haired man beside the director. "This is the stupidest stunt you've had us do in years, Pegasus."

He turned away from the dais that was their stage to stomp away, when the director flailed his arms about in a panic. "Wait! You need to stay on point! We still want a few more takes!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Kaiba said, crossing his arms and slipping his hands inside the kimono sleeves. Atem smiled to himself; Seto looked like a regal samurai in that kimono. "I only needed one. The other two were for Atem's benefit."

At that, Atem glared at his lover, taking back his previous mental compliment. He totally looks like a dork in that get up!

"Aw, come now, Kaiba-boy! You should be a little more cheery! Tis the season!" Pegasus waved a finger at the man, but was met with an eye roll.

"I'm here for a duel, not to peddle some knock off series that was a dud before it was out of its package," Kaiba jeered unhappily.

Pegasus put a hand to his chest in mock shock, because everyone knew the Gold Series was _epic_! "I'm hurt! And here I was going to get you a few foils. Pity…"

"Whatever," the CEO rumbled. "Are we through here?" He asked, but without waiting for a response he stormed off.

"Wait!" the director called. "We still need reaction shots!"

No reply came as he made his way down the winding, country pathway of the shrine.

"No worries, you can splice a few in," Pegasus beamed happily. "Kaiba-boy has all of two expressions anyway; angry and constipated."

Apparently under too much stress to find the joke funny, the director wandered off, mumbling to himself.

Atem came up to Pegasus' side and they both watched Seto go. "I don't know how you put up with him," the older man said, but his tone was all affection, almost prideful.

The Pharaoh couldn't come up with an answer, so he tilt his head towards the CEO and smiled.

In all honesty, Atem couldn't blame his boyfriend's sour mood. It was supposed to be an easy week with a handful of spotlight shots, a voice over interview, and a tag team duel. After the filming was over their families were joining them on the 31st to enjoy a quiet holiday together at the ryokan (at Pegasus' expense). However, the whole thing was more like an elaborate, three ring circus, with a large film crew, entertainers, dressers, makeup artists, photographers, reporters, and all sorts of unnecessary noise. Pegasus even hired out a few geisha and taiko drummers for the filming.

The white-haired man had oh-so-innocently explained that he had sent over information of the changes to KC headquarters, but it must have gotten lost in the flurry of documents surrounding the VR Arcade. Or so he claimed. The man wasn't exactly subtle about his manipulations, but he often got what he wanted.

"I'll go talk to him," Atem said, and rushed off was a polite wave to the staff.

He took his time making his way down the winding, rocky path. Not long ago, the shrine lay almost forgotten in the remote mountainside in Northern Japan. However, with the popularity of Duel Monsters, the shrine dedicated to games saw resurgence in loyal patrons. Still, as old as it was, it had its disadvantages. Like it's icy stairs and creaky railing leading down a mountain path to the ryokan.

Atem turned a corner and suddenly slipped, and it was only his luck that he'd caught up with his lover. He slammed into Seto's chest in an easy catch before he was planted back onto his feet.

"Thanks," Atem said with a firm grip on Seto's kimono sleeve.

"What's with you and ice?" Kaiba replied, none too kindly. He jerked his sleeve back and tugged at Atem's haori to straighten it out. "Be more careful, would you? I'd rather not have my partner break his neck before the duel."

"I'll keep that in mind," Atem seethed, his voice low to see where the fire was.

But Kaiba turned and continued down the long path without a word. The Pharaoh took this as an invitation to follow so he remained close to his side. For a moment, the lights of the film crew above disappeared and the old ryokan loomed far below, still with its heritage and charm. It was an ancient home for traveling samurai and their households and Atem lightly wondered if they were walking the same paths that warriors had taken before them.

But the thought passed as he turned his eyes onto his tall and beautiful lover (Kaiba really looked _stunning_ in a kimono!) to try to pull him out of his anger.

"You can't really stay mad at Pegasus," Atem began, pulling the Band-Aid off. He knew it was going to be a rough start when Kaiba's eyes flew to him and he could almost feel them piercing his skin. "This week might not have been what we expected, but we made some good memories together."

"Tch," Kaiba clicked his tongue in annoyance. "If by good memories you mean punching Zigfried in front of the bathhouse, that I won't disagree with."

Atem chuckled before he could stop himself. "That was a fantastic right hook," Atem confessed, before he attempted to school his features to not encourage his lover's violence. "I'll admit, the roster change did throw me off-"

"Throw? Most like hurtled our expectations off a cliff," Kaiba growled low, but Atem couldn't exactly disagree.

The roster change was unexpected, and not exactly smiled upon. Instead of having Kaiba, Atem, Joey, and Yugi duke it out, Pegasus had also invited two more teams, Mai and Vivian, and Rebecca and Leon. Of course, everyone brought their small entourage of fans.

"At least it added an element of fun. Remember the snowball fight yesterday?" Atem tried again to find good in their working vacation. "It wouldn't have been nearly as exciting if Rebecca hadn't figured out the strategics of the playing field."

He caught the faintest smile on Kaiba's lips, probably recalling the fight they had in the woods of the mountainside. They spent hours setting traps and forts against each other in Capture the Flag, and with such an erratically enthusiastic group, it was more like war than a game.

"I never would have suspected that Tristan was the one to look out for when it came to fielding battles," Kaiba suddenly piped up, and that's when Atem knew he was getting to him.

The Pharaoh grinned and shuffled behind Kaiba to the left as two crew members carrying heavy equipment made their way up. "I can't believe you agreed to let Joey use his underwear as a false flag."

"Hn, it did make your team all the more wary about capturing the flag."

"I demand a rematch," Atem stated, but he hoped Kaiba caught the playfulness in his voice. "Without breaking the rules."

Kaiba shrugged. "Bending the rules is not breaking them."

As a retort danced on his tongue, Atem stopped himself as the crewmen began to speak. "Hey, isn't that Seto Kaiba and Yugi Moto?"

"Don't be stupid," the other said. They were farther up the path and probably didn't know their voice carried down the hill. "That's Atem, the King of Games."

"Really? I always thought he'd be taller."

"One would think that they could tell you two apart by now," Kaiba groused and crossed his arms under his kimono sleeves.

"I don't know," Atem began lightly, but his eyes were narrowed for play. "You seemed to have made that mistake, or was kissing Yugi intentional?"

At that, Atem had to wonder if Pegasus was right; Kaiba's expressions ranged from anger to constipated, because he suddenly looked the latter as he tried to sway off a blush. Atem laughed and looped his arm around his boyfriend's as they made their way over a particularly narrow, icy patch. "It's okay, I forgive you. I did take Téa on a date a few times; I suppose we're even."

"Speaking of the runt, did he get his ring back without a problem?" Kaiba asked. He almost a mumbled as if he were trying to make sure the handing off of rings went okay without looking like he cared.

Atem nodded, and they had to squish together again to allow another group of workers pass. He untangled their arms, but after a slip on the ice, Atem held tight to Kaiba's bicep regardless if he looked like a child. "He did, and he brought it with us," he informed him voice low to keep their conversation private. "I believe he's looking to propose while we're here."

"Hn, about time."

"As much as I would like to see it happen," Atem mused lightly, his breath coming out in soft puffs of white clouds against the chilly, winter air. "I hope he does it privately. I know how much he'd love to share the moment with his friends, but he should know that they can stand together even without us present."

"At this rate, their engagement won't be the only one to worry about," Kaiba grunt, and when Atem glanced up he saw hardened glare.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Vivian Wong," Kaiba growled, his posture stiffened. "The way you let her shove her breasts against your side, it's a wonder _she_ hasn't proposed to _you_."

"Are you jealous?" Atem teased wickedly. He got a glare in response.

"At least I had the decency to give Zigfried a clue," Kaiba snapped, his anger budding again. "You do realize I waved a sexual harassment suit in front of Vivian's face in order to get her to leave me alone."

"I'm not going to punch her," Atem argued, aghast at the idea. "And I don't need to threaten the woman. In fact, I spoke with her last night."

"Doesn't seem to have worked. She's been eying you all day like a piece of meat," Kaiba grunt, again shifting closer as they headed through the last narrow bend before the path straightened out to the back of the ryokan.

"But she hasn't touched me."

"Wait, weren't she and Mai out late for a shoot? When did you speak to Vivian?"

"I…" Atem flushed and even let go of Kaiba's arm as they neared the lights of the building. "I was trying to sneak into your room, but she caught me in the hall."

At that, Kaiba groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. "Atem, you know we can't be sneaking around with all these people here."

"I know but…!" Atem tried to explain his fault. "I… I missed you!"

"I'm right here," Kaiba deadpanned.

"I miss the private you."

"You're just horny."

"That, I will not deny."

Kaiba only rolled his eyes at Atem's smile as they entered the large genkan. Depositing of their shoes, they were politely bowed in by the door attendant. The old place smelled of musky wood, incense, and reeds, but with the distinct scent of hotel grade cleaning supplies, but they were inside for only a moment as they began down the wooden, outdoor walkway that bordered the south wing courtyard.

As they came closer to the dining room, they could hear their friends babbling behind the paper screen door. Before Atem could slide it open, his hand was grabbed by a distinctly bigger version. Hot breath played against the hair above his ear as Kaiba leaned in to whisper. "When the crews are gone, I promise we'll have a private bath in the hot springs."

Atem could only grin as Kaiba moved away. Even simple promises like that reminded the Pharaoh just how much his own longings and desires were well returned. This whole month was a strange up and down of a week without a private moment together, met by passionate reunions, followed again by nights alone. He honestly hoped this was not a foreshadow of the year to come. It wasn't that they were always together, but the fact that their separations were forced was less than joyous on his mind.

The door slid open before Atem could pull himself from his thoughts and Kaiba waltzed in before him. "We're back," Atem said quickly, to cover his haste, knowing the taller man wouldn't deem the group with a greeting.

A general cheer of hellos followed as they found their place along the long table on the floor. They settled on cushions and began piling half eaten platters onto their own plates.

"Guys, you have to see at this," Duke said, as he and a few others were hovered around a laptop.

"What are you looking at?" Atem asked politely as he took a bite of seasoned fish.

Mokuba grinned as he turned the laptop around, and he thought for a moment Kaiba was going to choke on the miso he was sipping. It was a picture of the Kaibas and Schreoders racing down a hill in sleds. While the younger brothers looked ecstatic, the older ones behind them roared at each other like true, ferocious enemies.

"What is the meaning of this?" Kaiba slammed his bowl down and stomped over the tatami to grab at the laptop. Duke yanked it away, but turned it so they all could take a look. Curious, Atem followed suit and peered over Yugi's shoulder.

"The editor wanted to take some 'slice of life' stills and splice them into the special," Mokuba explained as he flipped to another picture. It was when the girls—Téa, Mai, Serenity, Rebecca, and Vivian—dressed up as geisha and were putting on a little show in a hallway. "I guess Pegasus wanted the viewers to see that, even if you guys are all supposed to duel each other, he wanted to show that even the worst of rivals could get along during the holidays."

The next photo showed Joey and Mai talking. He must have said something stupid, because he was ducking his head bashfully but Mai was giving him an enduring laugh.

"Yeah," Joey agreed as he put his finger on the photo and pushed it to one side of the screen. "We get to veto or approve what gets into the show."

The next slide was of Yugi, Bakura, and Atem building a snowman together in the courtyard. To the side on the wooden walkway they could spy Serenity and Mai in yakata chatting over mugs of tea.

Atem had been curious why the photographers were hanging around them all week. He suspected they were sneaking photos, but didn't say anything. Leave it to Pegasus to know better than to tell the group they were being watched or else it would have all looked staged.

The next scene was of them having dinner in their kimonos. The group didn't drink, but the geisha didn't seem to have a hard time finding conversation and entertainment regardless. Atem smiled as he recalled the elder geisha he played a classic card game with. There was sharp wit and quick flicks of the wrist as they spoke casually but played at a great speed. In the end, he was sure to get her calling card, and she expressed her gratitude for the first real game she'd had with a client in many years.

The next picture was of Mokuba and Leon being shown how to play a song on a taiko drum, and after that was a dog pile of Duke, Tristan, and Joey as they wrestled in the snow. Another showed many of them gathered to play Bakura's new board game.

But not all the photos of their working vacation were so energy driven.

One scene that a photographer was able to capture was a rare moment where Joey and Kaiba weren't biting each other's heads off and were quietly playing a game of go. There were also soft stills like Rebecca and Leon falling asleep on the tatami floors with Duel Monsters cards surrounding them, Serenity and Joey praying before the shrine, Yugi and Atem leaning against a railing of the ryokan's second floor, talking quietly and smiling, Duke blushing as Serenity pored him tea, and Kaiba engrossed in a conversation with a geisha while Mokuba leaned against him and listened.

Atem had to give credit to the photographer that captured a moment between Téa and Yugi. They were standing before the courtyard, inside a room with the doors slid open. The moon cast a blue glow over the white snow, creating a romantic silhouette of the two standing beside each other. If one didn't know their feelings, they may simply look like friends, but Mai had to ruin everyone's silence at the scene by letting out a big "Aaaawww! Aren't they cute?!"

"Not as cute as that one," Joey teased at the final photo. It was of Atem and Kaiba in a meeting room. They were sitting at a low table on legless chairs, having an intense discussion in front of a laptop. Atem had a report in his hands and was pointing to something on it, while Kaiba peered over his reading glasses to retort. They looked completely in sync with each other, and nothing like the rivals they were famed to be.

Atem didn't remember anyone snapping a photo of them while they were going over the sales drafts of the Arcade, but it mattered little when Kaiba reached between the friends and pushed the photo to the vetoed pile.

"Hey, I liked that one," Téa protested, but Kaiba just frowned and walked back to his spot at the table to eat.

Atem simply shrugged when she looked at him, and the group continued their night in lighthearted conversation.


	32. A Holiday Proposal

Long, deft fingers dug deliciously into Kaiba's shoulder muscles, so transfixed by their prowess that the man didn't even try to resist his moan. It felt so good, too good, to feel those knots being undone. The sensation was not unlike that of heavy mountain snow melting, trickling down its forest bed to land in a still, serene pool that was Kaiba's back. Atem's fingers could be compared to that of a ballerina with the delicate, centered power they contained.

It was nearly noon and Seto had no inclination of leaving the futon any time soon. Yesterday, Atem, Kaiba, and the other duelists exhausted themselves in the mini tag team tournament for Pegasus' New Year's three hour special. Finally, the film crew and photographers and all that unless noise for the production were gone, swept up and away like so much filth, leaving just the fair few duelists friends in their private wing of the ryokan. Their families would show up tomorrow, leaving them all a day to relax and do as they pleased.

And Kaiba was pleased to do absolutely nothing for once. The young CEO arched his back up into Atem's hot fingers when they found a sweet spot under his shoulder blade. The move reminded him of the weight of his boyfriend sitting firmly on his ass in nothing but a hotel yukata. In the back of his mind, he knew they were full of enough stamina and youth to get a third round of slow, steamy morning (now afternoon) sex in, but this moment, with his Pharaoh catering so sweetly to his needs, left him content to remain still.

After a cat-like stretch into the caress and a gracious, manly groan, Kaiba fell back down into the soft futon mattress. His top was bare, only the blankets covering his bottom half, but the recently refilled yutanpo kept him substantially warm in the drafty room.

A bubbling chuckle sounded above him, and then he felt his lover lower himself across his back. "Keep it down," Atem murmured seductively into his ear, his deep voice falling to a whisper. "These walls are thin." His voice was like having sex with fine kimono silk.

At that, Kaiba turned his head a little to catch a shadow of his beloved arching over him. "You do realize I picked this room away from all your goody-two-shoes friends for a reason, yes?"

A kiss daintily pecked him on the corner of the mouth. "That reminds me, we should make an appearance for lunch."

"Mm, pass," Kaiba grunt unhappily at the thought of leaving his nest. "We can have food sent up."

"But if we don't show up, they'll send a rescue team," Atem teased against his ear. "Or send a funeral procession thinking we killed each other."

With a noncommunicable sound, this one with an unpleasant undertone, Kaiba reached back to grope at the half-naked thigh resting against his side. "We're not going anywhere. I can't remember the last time I had a day off, and I intend to spend it however I please." His fingertips nimbly followed the hem of the yukata and that firm, silky skin.

"It's my vacation as well," Atem prettily reminded him. He coaxed out another grunt from the man under him when he plunged his thumbs on either side of his spine, just above the swell of his ass.

Kaiba's fingers gripped the blankets under him when those thumbs found a surprisingly sensitive muscle to massage. He almost whimpered when Atem didn't give up on the rolling pressure, instead letting out a weak grouse of protest. "Fine!" he startled himself by giving in. "Fine, we'll go have lunch with your friends."

The pressure let out, and he could _hear_ the smug smirk on his lover's lips when he finally sat upright. "And I want to go for a walk to the shrine."

"Why? You're not even part of the religion," Kaiba pant lightly with his body still singing from the pain, then sudden loss, of a pressure point being taken. He wasn't sure if he wanted more or if he was going to ban Atem from every touching that spot again.

"It never hurts to ask for a blessing on our cards," Atem said casually. His hands blessedly returned to Kaiba's back. They played along the planes of his muscles, not as deep as before but surely much more relaxing.

When the thrumming of his spine willed down and the young CEO allowed himself to calm, he sighed lightly into his pillow. "You're a needy boyfriend."

"You didn't expect us to stay in bed all day, did you?"

"Heh, yeah, I kind of did."

Those warm hands curled their way up past his shoulders and began rolling light circles at the sides of his neck. Kaiba grinned to himself when lips touched him just under his hairline—a known weak spot—and he was suddenly musing on the idea of round three again when Atem continued. "I like spending time with you, whether it's at work, or dueling, or quiet times like this. But I want you to know how much it warms my heart when you come out to hang with our friends."

"Atem…" The single word strained between a warning and desire, but it went unheeded. Atem's masterful mouth began to draw out ragged breaths from the man as he began to suck on the nubs of Kaiba's spine, slowly, lazily, working his way down. Each suckle left the air cool and tingling in its wake.

"Atem…!" he said again, but this time his voice was lingering on a husky hue. Kaiba's hand gripped at Atem's thigh again, imprinting his digits into the firm flesh and his beloved went on. His words were muffled between sopping, wet kisses at the spot between his shoulder blades when he spoke.

"After our walk, we can go to the hot springs. And if you stay on your best behavior today," he rumbled against his skin, dropping another low, luxurious kiss to the oversensitive flesh. "I'll let you take me again."

A strangled moan left Kaiba without his permission only matched by the warm chuckle behind him. There was no denying it; things were going to happen, and they were going to happen _now_, but before either boy could act on their growing lust, the door suddenly slid open and banged loudly against its stopper.

"Geeze, guys, it's the middle of the day!" Joey bellowed in disgust. Behind him, Mai peered in next to Serenity, but she covered the younger girl's eyes. "Have some decency!"

"_What the Hell, Wheeler?!_" Kaiba yelled and jerked to get up. Atem deftly toppled off his back and scrambled keep himself covered with the yukata. Only when Kaiba felt a quick breeze did he force himself back down on the futon. It was a sudden reminder that he was, in fact, very naked.

"I have decency!" Kaiba roared. "This is my room! _Get out!_"

Oh, he was going to _pummel _that mutt into the _ground_ when he got some clothes on!

"Sorry if we spoiled your moment, but there's an even better one going on outside," Joey explained and waltzed right in.

And it wasn't just Wheeler who decided to prance merrily, do-as-you-please, into his _private quarters!_ It was like the entire dweeb patrol was on parade. First Wheeler trounced in like he owned the place, followed by a winking Mai and a very blushing Serenity. Next Tristan came by laughing with Duke, while Mokuba covered his mouth, trying unsuccessfully not to snicker. Finally, Bakura took up the rear and looked expectantly flustered but surprisingly curious.

The group walked right past them to the other end of the spacious room. Their socked feet made the fresh tatami creak under them as they made their way to the windows.

"Friends, as much as I enjoy your company, I'm not exactly sure this is the right time to hang out," Atem said politely as he handed Kaiba his yukata. He was pleased to note that there was a hint of annoyance laced within his calm words.

"Nah, man, you have to come see this," Tristan said as he shoved a window open, allowing the cool air to ruin the otherwise still room.

Mai flicked her hair behind her shoulder as she leaned against the edge of the window, he long legs quirked just slightly in Joey's direction. "Yell at us later guys and come here. Take a look."

Atem took the bait first (of course he would) and stepped across the room to the windows. "What are you… oh!" His garnet eyes grew wide as he peered out.

After yanking his obi around his middle to fasten his clothing, Kaiba pivoted on his heels to growl at the group. "What is so important that you had to-?!"

But he was shushed—_shushed!_—by his own brother and was waved over excitedly. He spied Duke as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and switch it to camera mode, and Serenity bounced on her toes with an anxious air.

"Not too loud!" Joey said in a hushed tone, but Ryou went on to explain. "We're really sorry. Your room was the only one in the ryokan with the right view."

Curiosity finally overcame his anger and Seto slowly made his way over. Keeping close to the edge of the line of dorks, he peered over Mokuba's head to find out what the frenzy was about. And there it was, a moment captured among the newly fallen snow, Yugi and Téa were hand in hand at the side garden. A small, frozen stream passed through it, and they were standing on the arched bridge, talking quietly in their seasonal kimonos.

And suddenly, he was aware of just how silent the room was. Even the outside was slumbering gently under the heavy snowfall as the world waiting in anticipation. The gentle hums of the couple below could be heard like an instrument of love, but they were too far away for distinct words to be overheard.

Beautiful, slim fingers slipped between Kaiba's and it took him a moment to realize it was Atem. He'd come closer and was snug to his side while they waited with bated breath for the moment to happen.

Minutes ticked by, and nothing. A few more murmurs of conversation could be heard, a laugh here and there, and the couple below continued their stroll down the winter wonderland garden.

"Come on, Yuge," he heard Joey chant lightly, although he probably didn't even know he said it.

"You can do it man, don't chicken out." That was Tristan, their ever present cheerleader.

But even as they all watched with rapt attention, Kaiba realized that it felt a lot like watching a duel. Only he was part of the crowd, and he was inwardly cheering his heart out for the little pipsqueak.

Suddenly, Yugi stopped, slightly jerking Téa around to look at him. He felt a collective intake of breath, and realized he did it, too. Mai gave a little fisted cheer into the air, and Atem squeezed his hand, whispering "partner," with such absolute faith Kaiba was sure a religion just began.

And then it happened; time stopped when the small man got onto one knee, obviously not caring about the cold. Téa's hands flew to her mouth, fingertips gracing her lips, as she watched Yugi pull a box out from his kimono sleeve. A few words were exchanged, quiet, unheard by the onlookers from above. Suddenly, a happy squeal escaped from Téa as she rushed at Yugi to hug him, effectively toppling them both over into the snow.

Their quiet group suddenly exploded with noise and action! Serenity and Mai burst into a hug, and Duke and Tristan started a dorky dance. Joey was enthusiastically fist pumping the air "That's my boy!" and Bakrua peered out of the window with happy, plump tears in his eyes.

Mokuba was bouncing excitedly on the spot, and even Atem gave a little pulled fist and a "yes!" Only Kaiba remained still and silent as his eyes peered down at the newly engaged couple. His heart thudded hard in his chest and he let a smile pass over his lips, a smile like pride.

A few minutes passed as the group made joyous celebration for their friends. Even Joey came over to pat Kaiba on the back; he let him at first, then he suddenly remembered…

He was just cock blocked by the Nerd Herd!

"Alright, you morons, that's enough!" he barked over the friends, but they ignored his anger and cheered louder. "Get out of here before I throw you out of this window!"

They laughed, they yelled, they danced, but they did comply. They babbled as they went.

"I hope it's a spring wedding!" "How big is the ring?" "I call dibs on best man!" "I'm so happy for them." "Are we having salmon for lunch?" "Stop crying!" "Do you think it'll be a traditional wedding?"

Finally, they left, and when Seto turned from closing the windows there he was; his own beloved, Atem. The one star that shined so brightly with his smile that Kaiba almost had to look away.

They said nothing, just stared at each other, folding joy into joy between looks alone. Then, Atem came forward and _leapt_ at him. He wrapped his arms around Kaiba's shoulders and then they were kissing. It was furiously passionate and undesirably beautiful; there was so much love and rapture in that kiss that, for a moment, Kaiba thought his spirit left him because there was no more room to contain all of Atem's happiness.

They made love right there on the tatami floor. No words were spoken between them, but it wasn't needed, not with the overabundance of devotion shared. And later, as they lay naked on the floor with the breeze from the window creeping in, Kaiba had to wonder; if Atem was this excited for his friend's engagement, then just how good would the sex be at the wedding?


	33. Crappy New Year's Resolutions

Pleasant laughter danced around the long dining table as the group settled around it for their evening meal. The room was old and drafty but was kept warm by unseen heaters, moving bodies, and hot water bottles under the legless chairs.

Mai pulled her kimono closer around her as she peered down the lengthy table at the silly group of friends. This was the first time in several years that she was actually involving herself in the holidays. The concept was frightening after she'd spent such careful effort to shield her heart from the fears of loneliness while sequentially embracing it.

Traveling and working were fantastic motivations to keep the inner demons away. She never settled for long—the people she met never breached the surface—which led to less heartache and decay against her own soul. But somehow these geeks had wrapped themselves around her—whether she wanted it or not—and found that, for once, being alone wasn't the proper solution.

First down the line at the table was Serenity; the girl she felt was like a sister to her. Of the few people she kept in consistent contact with in her nomadic movements, Joey's big-eyed sister was one of the few she got around to calling at least once a week.

The girl was so full of dreams and hopes, a true beacon of kindness and loyalty, just like her brother. She loved to visit the girl when she was in the country and they always had a blast shopping at the mall and giggling about boys. She surely had grown over the years, from a meek, shy thing into a stunning, young lady.

She was currently speaking with Duke, another gamer geek with his own mini empire. Less of a duelist and more of an enthusiast, he'd certainly impressed Mai with his quick wit and savvy outlook on business affairs. He was never aloof, at least not traditionally, and always held out his hand to those in need.

Then there was Bakura, or Ryou, as she'd been corrected. He was a shy, nerdy little kid that was a curious entity to Mai after the whole magic thing a few years ago. She hardly knew how to handle him at first, finding him hanging around the group more and more but not really striking up deep conversation.

That was until she asked him about a project he was working on one night on his laptop. That got the kid going and he couldn't hide his enthusiasm as he talked on and on about creating masterpieces out of bits of data. He really was bright—and just as fun to duel against—but his gentle heart was evident enough to Mai why he was part of their circle.

Then there was Atem and Kaiba; they were a beast all their own and easily categorized as one being. Sure, on the outside they portrayed the vigorous rivalry they were famous for, but on the inside it was a passion on an entirely different level. They were currently sitting with their chairs pressed together, slumped against each other and somehow fell asleep sitting upright.

She'd been watching them all night like the enigma they were, the great protectors of the group. It was curious to see how they interacted as one unit, yet completely separate, too. Such as Kaiba appeared prone to nibble his food and push it away, and Atem nudged him with an unspoken challenge to eat his proper fill. Or the way they wrestled with verbal tongues while simultaneously curled up against each other like fuzzy, loving kittens.

It still surprised Mai at how easy their relationship was accepted into the group. In fact, they were comfortable enough to fall asleep in front of everyone, and no one even batted an eye. Mai thought she could hear one of them lightly snoring, and she was wondering when Kaiba would begin to drool on the top of Atem's head.

Near them, of course, was Mokuba, the furiously loyal fan of his brother's. He was slowly branching out from under the KaibaCorp wing, but there was little evidence of him tearing away completely. Those boys loved each other like the sun loved the moon and back. Whatever he ended up doing with his future Mai was assured it was going to spectacular.

He was deep in conversation with Tristan, the mother hen of the flock. This was a guy with his own shaky past that blossomed out of the darkness to be an incredible support to his friends. He never gave up, never surrendered, and never allowed anyone else to do so, either.

Beside him with Téa, who was laughing extra loud tonight (and surprisingly didn't wake the lovebirds snoozing across the table). Mai smiled to herself as she watched the brave, remarkable woman cater to a consistent blush upon her cheeks. Those big, beautiful eyes kept glancing affectionately down at her left hand that she kept it on the table. The ring was dazzling in the gentle light of the room.

Mai always liked her, even when they argued when they first met. She was not the kind of girl to roll over and let a man (or anyone) stomp across her or her friends. She was like a ferocious lioness with sharpened claws and bared teeth if any threat came to her family, but she would wrap them all up in her vast love if they turned from foe to friend.

And then there was Yugi. Oh Yugi, the young man with a small physical position but a huge lot in life. The guy looked so pleased today, so very proud, as he and Téa held hands under the table. It was no wonder; his love for her was evident from day one and he'd finally gotten his lifelong wish. Well, besides the wish for friends, of course, but she applied within that ring of hope.

He was brightly blushing and not even ashamed of it while he spoke animatedly with Joey about the packs of the Gold Series Pegasus had given them. They were making plans to open them tonight and start a trade.

Heh, Joey, what a dork. A cute, fun, kind, sweet, loyal dork; Mai couldn't help the little smile that played on her MAC Lady Danger covered lips. He had never once given up on Mai, not even after the many times she turned him down. Either as a friend, or more, he remained an open heart for her to return to.

"I'm too soft for you," she told him on Christmas Eve as they stood outside on the penthouse balcony. It was nighttime then, their friends were asleep in their beds. The air was frigid and she wasn't wearing her jacket, making cause to shy off her shivering nerves by an excuse of the cold. She was turned away from him, her arms crossed, heart closed off. "And that's the problem."

"You make it sound like home is a burden, Mai," Joey tried softly, moving closer but careful not to touch and shatter her unstable walls. "It's not."

She pulled herself further inward, bodily and emotionally. "I'm not used to this sort of thing," she admit with a broken breath.

Finally, his warm, loving hands lay to rest on her shoulders. It was gentle and careful, not unlike a child reaching out to a wounded stray. "I'll get you used to it."

"Joey," she said, with no other words to add. Just his name was enough to betray her heart. How she wanted him—this, them, everything they had—but the fears of being strapped down and unable to fly free was a choking realization.

He didn't press her. He knew better than that. Instead, he gave her one squeeze at her shoulders and then let go. "It's okay, Mai," he said behind her without pressure, but she didn't have to look to see the sad smile he held to cover his grief. "If you decide to stay next year, or five years from now, or ten, I'll still open that door wide for you and let you right in."

And that was the last of their conversation, but the devotion laced within those words continued to ring in her mind ever since. But her time for being selfish was over. If these were the type of people that wanted her in their lives, then she could not have stumbled upon a greater group of friends.

She looked at the silly blond at the table, and braced herself for her future. "Joey," she said softly, her voice coming out a bit cracked from her emotional silence. He turned to her, away from Yugi, who eagerly went back to chatting with Téa.

"Hey, Mai, what's up?" he said with the loopy grin on his face.

The woman schooled her features to appear nonchalant. She lift her chin and lowered her lashes, knowing just how their shadows played against her cheekbones. "So, I was checking out a place near Domino Square," she began easily, and continued without waiting for a reaction. "I want your opinion on apartment prices in the city and if I should buy or rent."

Brown eyes lit up like a lamp on fire and bright, white teeth gleamed as the fool's lips pulled back into a gargantuan smile. "Buy!" he beamed eagerly. "Buy it!"


	34. Drunk at New Year's Party

"What do ya mean, there's no proof?" Joey snapped in his exhaustion. His pants were in one hand, his accusing finger was pointed at Seto on the other. "There's proof! I saw it with my own eyes."

"Can you take video with your eyes?"

"No…"

"Then your proof is wrapped up in your imagination and nothing more," Kaiba answered as he smoothly yanked his shirt over his head.

Atem sat next to Mokuba on a bench as the men were undressing in a bathhouse. Duke and Tristan were already in the adjoining hot spring, past the cloth overhang that led outside, and Bakura's pale butt was still slowly inching his way into the hot water.

Joey flailed his arms about. "What? No way. You can't deny what happened."

"I can and I will. I just did," Kaiba's unruffled tone and arrogant smirk riled the blond beside him all the more.

Joey growled in agitation as he shucked his shorts into a basket. "I saw you drooling at the dining table!"

"Maybe if I ever salivated in my sleep I might consider your outlandish notion. However, I don't therefore your theory is yet again left with unfounded evidence."

"That's bogus! Atem- Atem tell him! The guy drooled on your head, didn't he?"

"I uh…" Atem blinked at suddenly being addressed during their little spat. "My head did feel a little damp."

"See? Told ya; proof right there, moneybags."

Kaiba, finally relinquished of his clothing, only offered a deftly easy smile as they strode over to the water's edge. "The roof was leaking."

"The roof was- what are you talkin' about? We weren't even on the top floor!" Joey wailed beside him.

A sound came from Kaiba. It could have been a snort of duration, or maybe an amused laugh, but Atem didn't take the time to tinker with the sound as his focus drew squarely on those long, bare legs dipping into the steaming water, and then his firm, gropeable ass that was just begging to be-

"Ouch!" Atem blurt out at the sudden pinch on his arm. He looked over to Mokuba, who gave him a knowing and slightly disgusted look. "That's my brother, you pervert. Get your slash-fic eyes off of him."

Quickly mollified, Atem's eyes fell to look at the rugged stone floor with a hot blush braced against his cheeks.

Yugi's laugh jingled behind them as he came around to deposit his basket of clothing into a cubby. "I don't know if it's just Atem, Mokuba," he said honestly, but his innocent face held a wicked little smile. He reached out a probed a very sore and dark bruise on Atem's shoulder. It was ringed with bite makes, and Atem yanked his yukata closer around his body. "At least Atem's trying to be modest. Your brother's showing it off."

It was true, Atem was going to try to be the last one in the hot spring so most of the scratches and bruises wouldn't be seen under the water, but of course, his perverted doppelganger had to point them out to his lover's _brother_. And yet, Kaiba himself took pride in every mark he'd recently acquired. He wore them like a badge of honor in front of the men, as if he didn't care if everyone knew (and they did) that they were rolling around naked together most of the day.

"Hey, my brother's not a delinquent," Mokuba weakly protested, but even he had an impish smirk. He thumbed his nose as he finished. "He's just comfortable around you guys, that's all."

Yugi only snickered as the two headed for the bath. Atem followed shortly after he was relinquished of his yukata. He honestly didn't want to have to explain the mess of crisscross scratches across his back to Mokuba, courtesy of his brother.

The carved hot spring led outside. It met up in a wider berth and offered a stunning view of the snowy mountainside. The women were there as well, having their dressing room on the other side of the bathhouse, only connected by the hot spring itself. The water was cloudy with minerals and other additives so unless someone stood over the waterline, the sexes were easily concealed from one another.

Lanterns and trays of saké floated over the water, creating a tranquil, soothing atmosphere to end a perfectly relaxing day. Atem leaned his back against a sculpted edge of the spring and felt sore muscle aches drift away. His eyes closed as he listened to the gentle hum of his friends' conversation, like Bakura awkwardly describing a game store in London to Serenity, and Tristan and Mokuba chatting with Yugi about an upcoming tournament in California. Mai and Téa were already discussing color plans for the wedding (it seems she was aiming for early summer). The only disturbance was the sudden bellow from Joey and an accompanying laugh from Duke.

"I can't believe you! Why do you even think that's plausible!?" he roared in exasperation.

"Why?" Seto began, obviously posturing. Atem didn't even have to look to know he was thrusting out his chest and pointing his chin at the blond. "Because I'm Seto-freaken-Kaiba. I do what I want."

There was a sudden splash, and a few yells of indignation. Cat fight, probably. But still, he kept his eyes closed even as he felt a body or two swim near him.

"Aren't you going to do something about him? Kaiba's obviously egging Joey on." Mai asked warily, to which Atem chortled.

"I'm on vacation," he explained and cracked an eye open. He saw Kaiba leaning over the water with lots of bubbles coming from under his hand. "If they don't kill each other, this will only bring them closer together."

"Boy, do I have a lot of catching up to do," Mai mused out loud, making Atem smile all the more and begin to give his full attention. "All the dynamics of this group keeps changing."

"It's good to hear that you're planning on sticking around Domino," Atem commented, his smile sincere. "You've been missed."

A surprisingly colorful array of emotions passed across Mai's often arrogantly beautiful features, which left Atem to turn to Téa while the blonde worked out her thoughts. "Making plans for the wedding already?"

"Yeah, well, I've been planning this ever since we graduated high school," the woman beamed, not even ashamed of her words. "Took him long enough to figure it out."

"He had to be a bachelor on his own for awhile," Atem explained, to which she snickered.

Serenity made her way over, her eyes gleaming with amusement as she spied her brother and Kaiba wrestling like children. "Hey guys," she began softly. "Did you ask him, Téa?"

"Ask me what?" Atem raised a brow as the surrounding of ladies.

"I'm going nontraditional and I was wondering if you'd be able to help me get a dress," Téa explained. "You know a lot of people and I want to get the perfect gown." She paused to consider her words then went on. "And my mom, too. When I told her we were getting married, she wanted me to ask you if you'd help her get a mother-of-the-bride dress."

"Not that I'm not flattered, but you know that Yugi is very well known, too," Atem admit gently. "Once the engagement is made public, he'll be getting a lot of vendor offers."

"Yeah, but he's not as well known in the fashion industry like you are," Mai piped in. "We want your expert opinion. You're pretty good at this sort of thing."

"Let me talk it over with Yugi," the Pharaoh began. "He should have first say in any man helping his future wife with her wedding." He explained to the three women, but he beamed. "If he agrees, I'd be honored to assist you, but don't expect me to wear a dress; I'm standing on the groom's side."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Téa crowed and clasped her hands together in excitement. She looked like she were about to say something further, but Duke came around to plant his arms around Mai and Serenity's shoulders.

"So tell me, how does the only openly gay guy here get all the ladies? Please, you must tell me your secret," he teased, giving a blushing Serenity a wink.

"Hey, hey!" and then there was Joey, who burst his way into the circle. He upended his friend from his place, eagerly replacing Duke's arms with his own. "Don't touch my sister!" he groused. "Have some manners."

"Joey," Mai said, her voice and expression deadpanned.

"Uh huh…?" Joey said vaguely.

"My face is up here, buddy."

Joey blushed and looked up from where he was just trying to spy Mai's breasts from under the mineralized water. "Uh…" Caught, red handed.

But Joey's frantic excuses went unheeded as the rest of the crew wandered over with Bakura bringing a floating tray of saké into the center of the circle.

"It's time to play Pin Pon Pan!" Mokuba declared and was met with a plethora of excited cheers.


	35. New Year's Kiss

New Year's came and went. Families joined them at the ryokan for the few days' celebration, including the Ishtar's for Atem, and even Roland showed up to spend it off the clock with the Kaiba brothers. As December edged into January life returned to is normal routine for the group of friends.

Well, as routine as their lives could get. Among the responsibilities of being famous duelists, wedding planning, apartment hunting, and whatever crazy project Kaiba came up with next, there was little to the word 'routine' that fit into their lifestyle. And that was just perfect.

Which was why, two weeks into the new year, Atem found himself standing at an icy corner of a Domino street in the dead of night. His crazy hair was covered by a knitted hat, the wool peacoat was warm around him, but he still bounced up and down to sway off the midnight chill of winter.

Kaiba smirked as he wandered up to his boyfriend and shoved a pair of ice skates into his hands. "It's not that cold," his voice was laced with a teasing snicker he yet released.

"I'm Egyptian," Atem complained and followed his boyfriend to a bench to put them on. "We're not built for the cold. I'm freezing my balls off out here."

"Don't whine, we only have tonight together before you have your tournament in Italy and I have to head back to America," Seto explained as he slipped his own skates on.

Atem looked over his shoulder with a longing at the town car parked on the street. Roland and the recently transferred Betty were standing outside beside it, snuggled up to each other's side with hot cocoa in their hands. He pined for that car's warmth, but if Seto wanted to drag him outside this late at night, he must have had a reason. Although, ice skating was an odd reason.

They just came from a Domino local Duel Monster's gathering which was why they were in their flimsy disguises. Matsuzaki and Hano were there to greet them, duel them, and get crushed by them. Luckily, their determination wasn't shaken and asked to go drinking after next month's gathering, which was accepted.

But tonight, after, Kaiba dragged Atem out to where the German Christmas Festival was held a month before to go skating. The long legs of the man unfolded as he stood and headed to the ice rink. The place was shut down for the night, and the evening was untouched by patrons so they were effectively alone with only the street lights for warmth. It was oddly isolated, but delectably private after seeing the placed decked out in holiday gear and surrounded by far too many sugared up children.

Atem wobbled to the edge of the rink and held the railing tightly as he prepared to step out onto it and effectively fall on his face. He groaned inwardly at the thought as he braced himself but was surprised when a gloved hand hovered within view.

"Seto?" he asked tentatively.

"Come on," Kaiba mused with a half-smile.

Relief sounded from Atem's sigh and he took the offered hand. As predicted, he stumbled the moment his skates hit the ice, but was effectively caught into a warm bundle of his lover's arms. "Atem," the taller man laughed. "You really are awful at this."

The Pharaoh grumbled as he found his footing and held to the other for dear life. "Don't start, babe," he warned lightly.

They took three turns around the rink at full before Atem felt confident enough to unlink their arms. Like before, he copied Kaiba's footwork to find the rhythm of the job, but when he began to pull away, his hand was quickly caught up into a hold. He glanced up, curious to see smiling sapphire eyes peer down at him. "I owe you," was all Kaiba said as he threaded their gloved fingers together. At the corner of his eye, he saw Roland and Betty watching them fondly and give Kaiba a thumb's up. He wasn't entirely sure what that was about, but he was quickly warming up to their presence.

The rivals-turned-lovers talked lightly as they leisurely made their way around the rink. Their discussion breached the topic of Duel Monsters and their trades during their Duel date at the local. They talked of the past month the crazy parties and hard work on the VR Arcade, and lightly discussed the future of the project, but generally left heavier details for when they were working. Speaking of the future, they meandered about how they were going to survive the next two weeks apart. Video chat, of course, and planned phone calls between their time zone differences.

When they passed the subject Yugi and Téa looking at apartments in the same building as the penthouse, Atem was sure a good half an hour passed and he'd since stopped shivering from the cold. They fell into a comfortable silence on the next pass of the rink while Kaiba mused on a subject. He chewed on his lower lip, but Atem patiently waited to hear his lover's thoughts.

"When you get back from Italy, can you take care of Mokuba and the dogs until I return?" he asked thoughtfully. "He's pretty comfortable at your place."

"Of course," Atem answered lightly, his voice lingering against the chilly air on a warm confession. "We love having him around."

"And me?"

"Hm?" Atem peered up at Kaiba, having to strain to hear the soft question.

"And me? Do they… do your friends like having me around as well?" Kaiba finally looked down, their pace slowed as they breached the topic.

But Atem only smiled brightly to reassure his lover. "There is no doubt that you are wholly welcomed into our household. They are your friends, now, just as much as they are mine." Without thinking about it, Atem lift his free hand to his chest for a moment, over his heart where he could feet the solid metal rectangle of the Duel Monster's locket Seto had given him as a Christmas gift. He only took it off for the necessity of bathing and the like, but it was otherwise always hidden under his clothing, just like Kaiba's.

"My friends," Kaiba scoffed at the notion, although something about his proud posture led Atem to believe it was an enduring curse. "I see."

"What are you thinking?" the Pharaoh asked, yanking at the truth of the topic.

"I propose a compromise," the young CEO began suddenly, sounding as if he were in a boardroom meeting, only he was ice skating and holding hands. "That we try a live-in situation."

"Seto?" Atem blinked at the tall man, waiting for clarification. Hadn't they just talked about not wanting to rush their relationship a few weeks ago?

"What I mean is," the other continued, not looking at Atem at all. "That once a month for a week either you come live at my place, or Mokuba and I live at yours. Just to see how it fits into our lives and…" he finally glanced over, but his eyes were firmly set onto their linked hands. "And see where we go from there."

Atem squeezed his hand reassuringly, not letting emotions stopper his voice. "I don't see why not," he agreed easily even if his volume tapered low. "We could try it out for… what? A year's span of time then renegotiate the terms of our agreement?"

"That was my theory as well," Kaiba agreed and finally met his eyes. "We're both pretty stubborn. Compromise is going to be a bitch."

Atem laughed at that. "Yes, I can already see a few fights over who gets what side of the sink."

"And bed. I told you I like the window side in your room."

"It's my bed; I get to choose what side I sleep on."

"I'm stronger than you. I'll kick your ass out onto the couch if I have to."

"Then this _ass_ is out of commission next time you come over. I'm keeping all the costumes at my place, by the way."

A lull of silence lingered, before Kaiba whispered, "Damn!" at the suddenly settled argument.

The Pharaoh chuckled lightly at their stupid bickering. "I think it's a fine idea, Seto. I'll bring it by the others, but I highly doubt it will be met with any objections."

"Of course it's a good idea; it's mine," Seto's bravado returned with annoying arrogance. Atem just shook his head as he nudged his shoulder. "I'm going to miss you," the taller man said quietly. Kaiba suddenly stopped them and gently wheeled Atem around in front of him, just to stare at him and run his gloved fingers across his face. There was nothing for the Pharaoh to do but to smile and allowed for his lover to indulge himself in memorizing Atem's features under his fingers. It was such a common thing for Kaiba to do before they parted that he probably didn't even realize he was doing it half the time.

Only when those fingers curled under Atem's chin did Seto finally lower himself to touch a kiss upon his lips. But something must have been off balance, because before they could find their connection there was a sudden scraping of blades on ice and Kaiba was no longer looming overhead but was a pile of uncoordinated limbs below.

Atem took stock of his ungraceful lover for all of two seconds before he burst out into laughter. "Stop it!" Seto roared as he tried to get himself righted. Of course, Atem only laughed that much harder, but it didn't last long as his pant leg was yanked and he went crashing down on top of that warm body, flailing on the ice along with him.

"Shut up!" Kaiba demanded and pinned Atem below him, but the Pharaoh couldn't stop himself. His stomach was beginning to hurt from all the laughing. The sound was muffled, briefly, when Seto smothered his lips onto Atem's, and suddenly they went from hilarious antics to steamy make out session. Kaiba always knew how to shut him up.

When he finally pulled away, they were still battling each other with looks, but equally, passionately breathless. "Let's get off the ice and get those balls warmed up."

"Ra, yes!" Atem cheered, louder than he needed, but, by the Gods, this was a perfect beginning for the year to come.

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Thank you all for reading! Please take care.

Please, come check me out on tumblr under PastTheVaultedDoors and ArchieveOfOurOwn under Brightwinter.


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